MorphoSys AG Announces Presentation of Preclinical Data on MOR202 and MOR208 at 2012 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting

MUNICH, GERMANY--(Marketwire - November 05, 2012) - MorphoSys AG / MorphoSys Announces Presentation of Preclinical Data on MOR202 and MOR208 at 2012 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting. Processed and transmitted by Thomson Reuters ONE.

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MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) announced today the publication of additional preclinical data on its two proprietary cancer programs MOR208 and MOR202 in the online issue of the peer-reviewed medical journal BLOOD. The data sets further underline the potential of both compounds to result in new treatment options for various forms of blood-borne cancer. Full data will be presented at the 2012 American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting on December 8-11, 2012 in Atlanta.

MOR208, an anti-CD19 antibody with a proprietary modification to the Fc portion, has successfully concluded a phase 1/2a clinical trial in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The program is on track to enter clinical development in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The preclinical in vitro study to be presented at ASH examined MOR208’s potential to trigger antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) relative to a native non-engineered anti-CD19 antibody. In the study, MOR208 showed significantly enhanced cytotoxicity triggering killing of cancer cells derived from both pediatric and adult patients with ALL. MOR208 was twice as effective as the non-engineered antibody and required lower antibody levels and lower presence of effector cells.

MOR202, an anti-CD38 HuCAL antibody, is currently being tested in a phase 1/2a study in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (MM). Having previously identified ADCC as an effector mechanism of MOR202, the preclinical data to be presented at ASH demonstrate the antibody’s capability to induce killing of MM patient cells via antibody dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) as an additional potent mechanism.

“These findings for our proprietary cancer programs MOR202 and MOR208 are very encouraging and highlight the significant potential of both candidates. MOR208 may represent a promising approach for treatment of pediatric and adult ALL,” commented Dr. Arndt Schottelius, Chief Development Officer of MorphoSys AG. “For MOR202, the additional effector mechanism bodes well for future clinical development in multiple myeloma.”

In total, MorphoSys currently has four proprietary clinical programs ongoing, namely MOR208 and MOR202, as well as MOR103, a fully human HuCAL antibody directed against GM-CSF (granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor), that is being developed in rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis.

The full abstracts are available on https://ash.confex.com/ash/2012/webprogram/start.html

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: http://hugin.info/130295/R/1655063/534742.pdf

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Source: MorphoSys AG via Thomson Reuters ONE

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