MorphoSys AG to Present Clinical Data on MOR103 at 2012 American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting

MARTINSRIED, GERMANY and MUNICH, GERMANY--(Marketwire - November 06, 2012) - MorphoSys AG / MorphoSys to Present Clinical Data on MOR103 at 2012 American College for Rheumatology Annual Meeting.

Processed and transmitted by Thomson Reuters ONE.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) announced today that the Company's late-breaking abstract to present data from the phase 1b/2a clinical trial evaluating its proprietary HuCAL antibody MOR103 in rheumatoid arthritis at this year's American College for Rheumatology Annual Meeting has been accepted. In addition to the safety and efficacy data published on September 20th, MorphoSys today published supplementary data from the phase 1b/2a trial including EULAR response rates, changes in DAS28 scores as well as RAMRIS scores used to analyze MRI imaging in RA trials.

In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 1b/2a trial in 96 mild to moderate RA patients, MOR103 was administered in four weekly doses of 0.3 mg/kg, 1.0 mg/kg or 1.5 mg/kg. MOR103 showed excellent safety data at all doses administered. With regards to efficacy, the trial was designed to look in particular at the onset of the therapeutic effect. At week four, a significant decrease of the DAS28 score was seen in the MOR103 group with a mean difference of 1.12 and 0.61 in the 1.0 mg/kg and 1.5 mg/kg cohorts respectively, while an increase of 0.17 was documented for placebo. EULAR response criteria were met in 68.2% of the 1.0 mg/kg dose group and in 69.5% of the 1.5 mg/kg dose group in comparison to 7.4% in the placebo group. The clinical activity was mirrored by a reduction in the RAMRIS score for joint swelling/synovitis of up to -1.5 within 4 weeks.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to present the data at this year's American College for Rheumatology meeting, the most relevant medical conference for RA. This is a major milestone for us," commented Dr. Arndt Schottelius, Chief Development Officer of MorphoSys AG. "The additional clinical data we have published today further underline the compound's potential to become an important new drug in an area of unmet medical need."

The data will be presented by the principal investigator of the study, Prof. Harald Burkhardt, Professor of Rheumatology and Head of the Division of Rheumatology at Goethe University Frankfurt in a presentation session on November 13, 2012.

The full abstract is available on http://www.acrannualmeeting.org/

About MorphoSys:

MorphoSys developed HuCAL, the most successful antibody library technology in the pharmaceutical industry. By successfully applying this and other patented technologies, MorphoSys has become a leader in the field of therapeutic antibodies, one of the fastest-growing drug classes in human healthcare. The company's AbD Serotec unit uses HuCAL and other antibody technologies to generate superior monoclonal antibodies for research and diagnostic applications. Together with its pharmaceutical partners, MorphoSys has built a therapeutic pipeline of more than 70 human antibody drug candidates for the treatment of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer's disease, to name just a few. With its ongoing commitment to new antibody technology and drug development, MorphoSys is focused on making the healthcare products of tomorrow. MorphoSys is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol MOR. For regular updates about MorphoSys, visit http://www.morphosys.com

HuCAL®, HuCAL GOLD®, HuCAL PLATINUM®, CysDisplay®, RapMAT®, arYla®, Ylanthia® and 100 billion high potentials® are registered trademarks of MorphoSys AG Slonomics® is a registered trademark of Sloning BioTechnology GmbH, a subsidiary of MorphoSys AG.

This communication contains certain forward-looking statements concerning the MorphoSys group of companies. The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgment of MorphoSys as of the date of this release and involve risks and uncertainties. Should actual conditions differ from the Company's assumptions, actual results and actions may differ from those anticipated. MorphoSys does not intend to update any of these forward-looking statements as far as the wording of the relevant press release is concerned.

Media Release (PDF):

http://hugin.info/130295/R/1653691/534825.pdf

This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:

(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and

(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: MorphoSys AG via Thomson Reuters ONE

[HUG#1653691]


For more information, please contact:
MorphoSys AG
Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Loser
Head of Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-122

Mario Brkulj
Senior Manager Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-454

Alexandra Goller
Specialist Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-332

Email Contact

Back to news