MorphoSys and Xencor Sign License and Collaboration Agreement for Clinical Antibody Program
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MorphoSys AG / MorphoSys and Xencor Sign License and Collaboration Agreement for Clinical Antibody Program processed and transmitted by Hugin AS. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
MorphoSys Strengthens Clinical Portfolio with Innovative Antibody in Phase 1
Cancer Trial
MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment; TecDAX) and US-based
biopharmaceutical company Xencor, Inc., announced today the signing of a
worldwide exclusive license and collaboration agreement for an antibody in Phase
1 clinical development. The agreement provides MorphoSys with an exclusive
worldwide license to XmAb5574, a high potency monoclonal antibody developed by
Xencor for the treatment of B-cell malignancies. As part of the agreement, the
companies will collaborate on the Phase 1 trial in patients with chronic
lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in the U.S.A., for which Xencor will continue to
carry the costs under its development plan. MorphoSys will be solely responsible
for further clinical development. Xencor will receive an upfront payment of US$
13 million (approx. ? 10.5 million), and will be eligible to receive
development-, regulatory- and commercialization-related milestone payments and
tiered royalties based on product sales. Further financial terms were not
disclosed.
XmAb5574, which will be renamed MOR208, is a humanized anti-CD19 monoclonal
antibody for the treatment of B-cell malignancies. It has been engineered to
possess significantly enhanced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity
(ADCC), thus improving a key mechanism for tumor cell killing and offering
potential for enhanced efficacy compared to traditional antibodies for the
treatment of cancer. In preclinical studies, XmAb5574 was well tolerated at
various dose levels, elicited immediate and sustained B-cell depletion, and
showed strong anti-tumor potency, anti-proliferative and apoptotic activity.
B-cell malignancies, such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic
leukemia (CLL) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia afflict more than one hundred
and fifty thousand patients in the seven major markets each year. The target is
expressed more broadly and earlier in B-cell development than CD20, the target
of the marketed cancer drug Rituxan®, therefore potentially allowing for an even
broader use of XmAb5574 as compared to Rituxan®.
"We are delighted to add this clinical program to our growing portfolio of
innovative development candidates," commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive
Officer of MorphoSys AG. "Our first in-licensing deal of a clinical compound is
a further step in the execution of our plan to build a strong portfolio of
proprietary therapeutic antibodies to complement those being developed by our
partners. The strong cash-flow from our partnered discovery business gives us
the means of supporting an attractive proprietary development program, to which
XmAb5574/MOR208 is an important addition."
"Our interest in XmAb5574 is based on a comprehensive survey of antibodies in
late preclinical or early clinical development in the areas of cancer and
inflammation," commented Dr. Arndt Schottelius, Chief Development Officer of
MorphoSys AG. "B-cell depletion is a well-validated strategy to treat lymphomas
and CLL, exemplified by the success of Rituxan®. We are convinced by the sound
scientific data Xencor has built around its anti-CD19 cancer program and we
believe it to be a valuable addition to our proprietary pipeline. By further
developing the Xencor program, we will broaden our drug portfolio and also
realize synergies with our cancer program MOR202, since both drugs target
hematological malignancies."
"As we look ahead to the potential of XmAb5574 to treat B-cell cancers, a
development collaboration with a leading global antibody company like MorphoSys
is an important step forward for us by allowing us to bring significant
additional resources to the program," said Dr. Bassil Dahiyat, Chief Executive
Officer of Xencor. "Progressing the development of XmAb5574 through this
collaboration further underscores the success of our XmAb platform technology in
creating a pipeline of innovative and potent next-generation antibody product
candidates. We are excited by the progress of both our internal and partnered
programs."
With Xencor carrying the cost for the phase 1 trial of XmAb5574/MOR208,
MorphoSys continues to anticipate total internal investment in proprietary R&D
of ? 26 - 29 million, as per the Company´s original guidance in February 2010.
MorphoSys will hold a public conference call tomorrow, June 28, at 02:00 p.m.
CEST (08:00 a.m. EDT, 01:00 p.m. BST) to present key information on the
agreement with Xencor.
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.
Approximately two hours after the press conference, a slide-synchronized audio
replay of the conference will be available on 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 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, visithttp://www.morphosys.com/
About Xencor:
Xencor, Inc. engineers superior biotherapeutics using its proprietary Protein
Design Automation® technology platform, and is a leader in the field of antibody
engineering to significantly improve antibody half-life, immune-regulatory
function and potency. The company is advancing multiple XmAb® antibody drug
candidates into the clinic, including XmAb®5871 targeting CD32b and CD19 for
autoimmune diseases, an anti-CD30 candidate XmAb®2513 which recently completed a
Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma, and a portfolio
of biosuperior antibodies that are versions of blockbuster antibody drugs
engineered for superior half-life and dosing schedule. Xencor's antibody
engineering technology has been licensed through multiple partnerships with
industry leaders such as Pfizer, CSL Ltd., Boehringer Ingelheim, MedImmune,
Centocor and Human Genome Sciences. In these partnerships Xencor is applying its
suite of proprietary antibody Fc domains to improve antibody drug candidates for
traits such as sustained half-life and potency. For more information, please
visitwww.xencor.com.
HuCAL®, HuCAL GOLD®, HuCAL PLATINUM®, CysDisplay® and RapMAT® are registered
trademarks of MorphoSys.
XmAb® is a registered trademark of Xencor.
Rituxan® is a registered trademark of Biogen Idec.
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
Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Löser
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
Jessica Kulpi
Specialist Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-332
investors(at)morphosys.com
Xencor, Inc.
Kim Richards
Canale Communications for Xencor
Tel: +1-619-849-5377
kim(at)canalecomm.com
[HUG#1427617]
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MorphoSys AG
Lena-Christ-Str. 48 Martinsried / München Germany
WKN: 663200;ISIN: DE0006632003;Index:TecDAX,Prime All Share,CDAX,TECH All Share,HDAX,MIDCAP;
Listed: Freiverkehr in Börse Stuttgart,
Freiverkehr in Hanseatische Wertpapierbörse zu Hamburg,
Freiverkehr in Börse Berlin,
Freiverkehr in Börse Düsseldorf,
Freiverkehr in Bayerische Börse München,
Freiverkehr in Niedersächsische Börse zu Hannover,
Prime Standard in Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse,
Regulierter Markt in Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse;
Press Release: http://hugin.info/130295/R/1427617/375295.pdf
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Source: MorphoSys AG via Thomson Reuters ONE
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Datum: 27.06.2010 - 21:17 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 23066
Anzahl Zeichen: 0
contact information:
Town:
Martinsried / München
Kategorie:
Business News
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