MARTINSRIED, GERMANY and MUNICH, GERMANY--(Marketwire - December 08, 2011) -
MorphoSys AG /
MorphoSys to Receive Milestone Payment for CNTO 1959 Phase 2 Program
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MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) announced today
that
Janssen Biotech, Inc. (formerly Centocor Ortho Biotech, Inc.) has initiated
a
phase 2 clinical trial in psoriasis patients with the HuCAL-derived
antibody
CNTO 1959. The event triggered a clinical milestone payment to MorphoSys.
Further financial details were not disclosed.
"With every clinical milestone and every new phase 2 start the time where
the
first HuCAL-based antibody drug could enter the market gets closer.
MorphoSys's
antibody pipeline has substantially matured over the last 18 months,"
commented
Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG.
In total, MorphoSys's clinical pipeline now comprises nine partnered
programs in
phase 1 and seven in phase 2 development as well as the Company's
proprietary
programs MOR103, which is in a phase 1b/2a trial for rheumatoid
arthritis,
MOR208, which is in a phase 1 trial for chronic lymphocytic leukemia and
MOR202,
which is in a phase 1/2a trial for multiple myeloma.
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(®),
arYla(®), CysDisplay(®) and
RapMAT(®) are registered trademarks of MorphoSys AG.
Ylanthia(®) and 100 billion high potentials™ are trademarks 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:
http://hugin.info/130295/R/1569749/488004.pdf
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other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and
originality of the information contained therein.
[HUG#1569749]
