Multiple Sclerosis Announced as Second Indication for MOR103
MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) will present significant recent developments and provide a full outlook on its partnered and proprietary drug pipeline as well as a comprehensive technology update during today's R&D Day to be held in London starting at 9.30 am GMT. A second event will be held in New York on November 29, 2010 starting at 11.30 am EST. MorphoSys has built one of the broadest antibody pipelines in the biotechnology industry with 12 clinical projects ongoing and a total of 76 distinct drug programs.
Today's event will be held at Berenberg's offices at 60 Threadneedle Street, London, EC2R 8HP, UK and can be viewed via webcast at www.morphosys.com. The New York event will be held at The W Hotel, 541 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022, USA and registration is possible at www.morphosys.com/rnd-day2010.
New Announcements at Today's R&D Day include:
- Disclosure of multiple sclerosis as the second indication for the Company's lead development program MOR103, a fully human HuCAL antibody targeting GM-CSF. The decision is based on a compelling scientific rationale and promising pre-clinical data. MorphoSys expects to start a phase 1b trial in multiple sclerosis with MOR103 in H2 2011.
- Preclinical data for MOR103 in both rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and multiple sclerosis and an update on imaging/biomarkers used in the ongoing phase 1b/2a study in RA.
- Preclinical data for MOR202, a HuCAL antibody targeting CD38 to treat multiple myeloma. A clinical trial application (CTA) to initiate a phase 1/2a trial with MOR202 in patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma has been filed in Europe and the Company expects to dose the first patient in H1 2011.
- An update on MOR208, an Fc-enhanced anti-CD19 antibody to treat B-cell malignancies. The program was in-licensed from Xencor in June 2010 and is currently in a phase 1 clinical trial in relapsed or refractory CLL/SLL in the US with patient enrollment expected imminently.
- An update on the Company's partnered pipeline, comprising now five partnered projects in phase 2 clinical trials. Roche has started a phase 2 clinical trial with Gantenerumab, a HuCAL antibody against amyloid-beta to treat Alzheimer's disease.
- The latest technology developments, such as the recently announced optimization platform arYla(TM), as well as additional modules for more efficient selection and screening of antibody libraries.
'MorphoSys has established a significant proprietary product portfolio and its clinical programs MOR103, MOR202 and MOR208 are on track to generate lucrative out-licensing opportunities in the years ahead,' commented Dr. Arndt Schottelius, Chief Development Officer of MorphoSys. 'Our decision to develop MOR103 in a second indication beyond rheumatoid arthritis, namely multiple sclerosis, is based on a compelling scientific rationale and promising pre-clinical data and we are intrigued by its prospects. I'm excited about the progress we've made in Proprietary Development since I joined MorphoSys two years ago.'
'The commercial opportunity for therapeutic antibodies is enormous. As we learn more about this class of drugs we are identifying ways of making antibodies that will be superior to currently available drugs, and our strategy is to command and apply a range of technologies to deliver these new therapies.' commented Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys. 'MorphoSys has now established a suite of technologies to enable generation of the best possible therapeutic antibodies and continues to set industry standards with its new arYla(TM) antibody optimization technology.'
MorphoSys will hold a public conference call today at 09:30 GMT (10:30 CET) to give an update on its partnered pipeline, proprietary portfolio and recent technology developments.
Dial-in number for the Conference Call (listen-only):
Germany: +49 (0) 89 24443 2975
For U.K. residents: +44 (0) 20 3003 2666
For U.S. residents: +1 212 999 6659
Please dial in 10 minutes before the beginning of the conference.
In addition, MorphoSys offers participants the opportunity to follow the presentation through a simultaneous slide presentation online at http://www.morphosys.com.
A live webcast, slides, webcast replay and transcript will be made available at http://www.morphosys.com.
About MorphoSys:
MorphoSys is an independent biotechnology company that develops novel antibodies for therapeutic, diagnostic and research applications. The Company's HuCAL technology is one of the most powerful methods available for generating fully human antibodies. By successfully applying this and other proprietary technologies, MorphoSys has become a leader in the field of therapeutic antibodies, one of the fastest-growing drug classes in human health-care. Through its alliances with some of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies, MorphoSys has created a pipeline of more than 60 drug candidates. The Company is expanding its drug pipeline by adding new partnered programs, and by building a portfolio of fully-owned therapeutic antibodies. For its proprietary portfolio, the Company is focused on the areas of oncology and inflammation. Its most advanced program MOR103, a first-in-class, fully human antibody against GM-CSF, is currently being tested in a Phase Ib/IIa trial in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Via its business unit AbD Serotec, MorphoSys is expanding the reach of its technologies in the diagnostics and research markets. MorphoSys is headquartered in Munich, Germany and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol 'MOR'. For further information, visit http://www.morphosys.com/
HuCAL®, HuCAL GOLD®, HuCAL PLATINUM®, CysDisplay® and RapMAT® are registered trademarks of MorphoSys. arYla(TM) is a trademark of MorphoSys.