MorphoSys and Celgene Create Strategic Alliance to Advance CD38 Cancer Program MOR202 for Patients with Multiple Myeloma
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MorphoSys AG /
MorphoSys and Celgene Create Strategic Alliance to Advance CD38 Cancer Program
MOR202 for Patients with Multiple Myeloma
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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
Development of novel therapeutic antibody approach being evaluated in clinical
trials for patients with multiple myeloma
MorphoSys will hold a conference call on Thursday, June 27, at 4:00pm CEST
(3:00pm GMT/10:00am EDT)
* Celgene secures worldwide rights to MOR202, whereby the companies will
jointly develop MOR202 globally and co-promote the product in Europe
* MorphoSys retains a 50/50 profit sharing in its co-promotion territory and
is eligible to receive tiered double-digit royalties outside of the co-
promotion territory
MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) and Celgene Corporation
(NASDAQ: CELG) today announced an agreement to jointly develop MOR202 globally
and to co-promote MOR202 in Europe. MOR202 is a fully human monoclonal antibody
targeting CD38 to treat patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and certain
leukemias. MOR202 is currently being evaluated in a phase 1/2a trial in patients
with relapsed/refractory myeloma. MorphoSys and Celgene will collaborate on the
development of MOR202 in multiple myeloma and other indications and share costs
on a 1/3:2/3 basis.
Under the terms of the agreement, MorphoSys will receive an upfront license fee
of EUR 70.8 million (US $92 million) and Celgene will invest EUR 46.2 million
(US $60 million) to subscribe for new shares of MorphoSys AG. The new shares
will be issued at a price to be determined upon the transaction becoming
effective following clearance by the US antitrust authorities under the Hart-
Scott-Rodino Act. The share price will include at least a premium of 15% of the
closing price of the MorphoSys share prior to the signature of the agreement.
MorphoSys may be entitled to receive additional development, regulatory and
sales milestones, in addition to tiered double digit royalties on net sales
outside the co-promotion territory. MorphoSys retains a 50/50 profit sharing in
its co-promotion territory. The total potential value of this transaction,
assuming all development, regulatory and sales milestones are reached, may be up
to EUR 628 million (US $818 million).
"This alliance takes MorphoSys to the next stage of our corporate development.
By moving up the value chain we have the opportunity to develop a commercial
organization that expands on our significant research, development and
technology expertise of today. Targeting CD38 has matured to be a highly
innovative and very promising approach in multiple myeloma and we are committed
to retain a larger share of the potential upside. Celgene, one of the leading
innovators in multiple myeloma, is the ideal partner to develop the compound
efficiently and deliver to patients with multiple myeloma worldwide," commented
Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG.
"Strategic investments in next generation medical innovation make it possible
for physicians to turn incurable cancers like multiple myeloma into chronic,
more manageable diseases," said Mark Alles, Executive Vice President and Global
Head of Hematology and Oncology at Celgene Corporation. "This collaboration with
MorphoSys enables us to rapidly advance a promising therapeutic antibody in a
disease where significant progress is being made, but where patients continue to
need new treatment options."
"Today's news marks our second major alliance on a proprietary compound that we
have brought from target identification to clinical development. MOR202 has
become a very attractive asset in our proprietary portfolio and the target CD38
is a validated highly promising target for patients with multiple myeloma. We
are looking forward to expanding and accelerating the clinical development of
MOR202 in collaboration with one of the leading developers of cancer
therapeutics in the field," commented Dr. Arndt Schottelius, Chief Development
Officer of MorphoSys AG.
MOR202 is a HuCAL antibody targeting CD38 to treat patients with multiple
myeloma (MM) and certain leukemias and is currently being evaluated in a phase
1/2a trial in patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma. CD38 is a protein found
on the surface of these tumor cells that acts as a target for the MOR202
antibody. Once attached, the MOR202 attracts natural killer cells in the body to
identify and kill the tumor cells. In multiple preclinical studies, MOR202 has
shown encouraging results as mono therapy and synergistic effects with both a
proteasome inhibitor and lenalidomide, an oral immunomodulatory therapy.
The agreement between MorphoSys and Celgene is subject to clearance by the US
antitrust authorities under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, and will become effective
as soon as this condition has been met.
MorphoSys will hold a public conference call and webcast tomorrow, Thursday,
June 27, 2013 at 04:00pm CEST (10:00am EST, 03:00pm BST) to present more
information on the transaction.
Dial-in number for the Conference Call (listen-only):
Germany: +49 89 2444 32975
For U.K. residents: +44 20 3003 2666
For U.S. residents: +1 202 204 1514
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/conference-calls.
A live webcast, slides, webcast replay and transcript will be made available at
http://www.morphosys.com/conference-calls.
About Celgene
Celgene Corporation, headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, is an integrated
global biopharmaceutical company engaged primarily in the discovery, development
and commercialization of novel therapies for the treatment of cancer and
inflammatory diseases through gene and protein regulation. For more information,
please visit the company's Web site at www.celgene.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are generally
statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements can be
identified by the words "expects," "anticipates," "believes," "intends,"
"estimates," "plans," "will," "outlook" and similar expressions. Forward-looking
statements are based on management's current plans, estimates, assumptions and
projections, and speak only as of the date they are made. Celgene undertakes no
obligation to update any forward-looking statement in light of new information
or future events, except as otherwise required by law. Forward-looking
statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, most of which are difficult
to predict and are generally beyond our control. Actual results or outcomes may
differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements as a
result of the impact of a number of factors, many of which are discussed in more
detail in Celgene's Annual Report on Form 10-K and its other reports filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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.
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(®)
and 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.
For more information, please contact:
MorphoSys AG Celgene Corporation
Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Löser Investors:
Head of Corporate Communications & IR (908) 673-9628
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-122 investors(at)celgene.com
Mario Brkulj Media:
Associate Director (908) 673-2275
Corporate Communications & IR media(at)celgene.com
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-454
Alexandra Goller
Specialist Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-332
investors(at)morphosys.com
Media Release (PDF):
http://hugin.info/130295/R/1712342/568246.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#1712342]
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Datum: 26.06.2013 - 23:14 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 273729
Anzahl Zeichen: 11273
contact information:
Town:
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Kategorie:
Business News
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