MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX; OTC: MPSYY) announced today that its licensee Janssen Research & Development, LLC (Janssen) has initiated two phase 3 clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TremfyaTM (guselkumab) in the treatment of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease affecting both the joints and the skin. TremfyaTM is a fully human anti-IL-23 monoclonal antibody developed by Janssen, and was generated utilizing MorphoSys’s proprietary HuCAL antibody technology.
MorphoSys will receive a milestone payment from Janssen in connection with the start of phase 3 development in PsA. Financial details were not disclosed.
Dr. Markus Enzelberger, Interim Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG, said: “We are very pleased that our licensee Janssen has started pivotal phase 3 development with TremfyaTM in psoriatic arthritis. If successful, this could result in a further expansion of the therapeutic range of the compound. Through Janssen’s innovative development of TremfyaTM leading to U.S. FDA approval, it recently became the first therapeutic antibody based on MorphoSys’s technology platform that has been made available to patients in the U.S.”
More information on the clinical studies of TremfyaTM (guselkumab) is available on clinicaltrials.gov.
About Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease characterised by both joint inflammation and the skin lesions associated with psoriasis, the latter of which affects 125 million people worldwide. An estimated 600,000 Americans-and more than 12 million people worldwide-have PsA. Up to 30 percent of people with psoriasis are estimated to also develop psoriatic arthritis. The disease causes pain, stiffness and swelling in and around the joints and commonly appears between the ages of 30 and 50, but can develop at any time. Though the exact cause of psoriatic arthritis is unknown, genes, the immune system and environmental factors are all believed to play a role in the onset of the disease.
About MorphoSys:
MorphoSys’s mission is to make exceptional, innovative biopharmaceuticals to improve the lives of patients suffering from serious diseases. Innovative technologies and smart development strategies are central to our approach. Success is created by our people, who focus on excellence in all they do, collaborate closely across disciplines and are driven by a desire to make the medicines of tomorrow a reality. Success benefits all of our stakeholders.
Based on its proprietary technology platforms, particularly in the field of fully human therapeutic antibodies, MorphoSys, together with its partners, has built a therapeutic pipeline of more than 110 programs in R&D, around a quarter of which is currently in clinical development.
In its proprietary development segment, MorphoSys, alone or with partners, is developing new therapeutic candidates, mainly focusing on cancer and inflammation. In its partnered discovery segment, MorphoSys uses its technologies to discover new drug candidates for pharmaceutical partners and participates from the programs’ further development success through success-based payments and royalties. MorphoSys is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol MOR. For regular updates about MorphoSys, visit http://www.morphosys.com.
HuCAL(R), HuCAL GOLD(R), HuCAL PLATINUM(R), CysDisplay(R), RapMAT(R), arYla(R), Ylanthia(R), 100 billion high potentials(R), Slonomics(R), Lanthio Pharma(R) and LanthioPep(R) are registered trademarks of the MorphoSys Group.
TremfyaTM is a trademark of Janssen Biotech, Inc.
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.
For more information, please contact:
MorphoSys AG
Anke Linnartz
Head of Corporate Communications & IR
Jochen Orlowski
Associate Director Corporate Communications & IR
Alexandra Goller
Senior Manager Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-404
investors@morphosys.com
