MorphoSys Acquires Peptide Therapeutic Company Lanthio Pharma
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MorphoSys AG /
MorphoSys Acquires Peptide Therapeutic Company Lanthio Pharma
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Acquisition Adds Novel Candidates Including Pre-IND Candidate for Fibrotic
Diseases to MorphoSys's Growing Proprietary Portfolio
MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX; OTC: MPSYY) announced
today that it has acquired all outstanding shares of the Dutch biopharmaceutical
company Lanthio Pharma B.V. The transaction brings Lanthio Pharma's lead
compound LP2, a novel lanthipeptide in development for diabetic nephropathy and
fibrotic diseases to MorphoSys's growing proprietary portfolio. LP2, which will
be re-named MOR107, has demonstrated potent angiotensin II type 2 (AT2)
receptor-dependent activity in vivo, and is planned to enter clinical trials in
2016. LP2 is the most advanced of four lanthipeptides in Lanthio Pharma's
portfolio. In this context, MorphoSys reconfirmed its updated financial guidance
issued on March 26, 2015.
Prior to the acquisition, MorphoSys held 19.98% of Lanthio Pharma. MorphoSys
will pay EUR 20 million to acquire the outstanding share capital of Lanthio
Pharma from the other investors, among them INKEF Capital, BioGeneration
Ventures and Hanzepoort. As part of its Innovation Capital initiative, MorphoSys
had made its initial equity investment in November 2012 as part of Lanthio
Pharma's Series A financing round.
"The acquisition of Lanthio Pharma adds a very attractive compound to our
growing proprietary portfolio. The lead compound LP2 has the potential to be a
first-in-class treatment for various fibrotic diseases and thus represents a
commercially attractive opportunity", commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief
Executive Officer of MorphoSys. "We have followed developments at Lanthio Pharma
closely since the beginning of our relationship. Now is the optimal time for
this transaction to secure the development of this potentially exciting asset."
"We have enjoyed a very productive relationship with Lanthio Pharma since 2012
and are therefore delighted to work even closer with Lanthio's experienced staff
on developing LP2 and identifying additional novel innovative therapeutic
peptides," said Jens Holstein, Chief Financial Officer of MorphoSys AG. "Today's
news marks another milestone for our Innovation Capital initiative that led to
this acquisition. We will continue to look for opportunities to invest and
collaborate with biopharmaceutical start-ups to strengthen our drug development
capabilities and enrich our proprietary drug portfolio."
Dr. Heinz Schwer, Chief Executive Officer of Lanthio Pharma, added: "The
acquisition of Lanthio Pharma with its exciting preclinical programs is the
final conclusion of a trustful business relationship over three years. We very
much look forward to working within MorphoSys to advance our programs and act as
an innovative source of new treatment options for patients."
"As the largest shareholder in Lanthio Pharma, we want to congratulate the
founders, the management and all employees. This transaction provides the
opportunity to further exploit the potential of the lanthipeptide technology,"
noted Dirk Kersten, Managing Director of INKEF Capital. "We would like to thank
MorphoSys for their strong support during the past years. We look forward to
continue working with MorphoSys and its Innovation Capital initiative."
Lanthipeptides comprise a novel class of therapeutics with high target
selectivity and improved drug-like properties. Lanthio Pharma's approach can be
used to identify peptides which are selective for a specific disease target and
to stabilize their structural conformation for optimal receptor binding. The
high specificity that can be achieved opens up new therapeutic applications,
potentially providing drugs for indications not usually targeted with
antibodies. In addition to intravenous administration, therapeutic plasma levels
of lanthipeptides can potentially be achieved via oral, pulmonary or
subcutaneous delivery.
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 90 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.
For more information, please contact:
MorphoSys AG
Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Löser
Head of Corporate Communications & IR
Mario Brkulj
Associate Director Corporate Communications & IR
Alexandra Goller
Manager Corporate Communications & IR
Jessica Rush
Manager Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-404
investors(at)morphosys.com
Media Release (PDF):
http://hugin.info/130295/R/1919844/687563.pdf
This announcement is distributed by GlobeNewswire on behalf of
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(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 GlobeNewswire
[HUG#1919844]
Unternehmensinformation / Kurzprofil:
Datum: 07.05.2015 - 15:54 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 395455
Anzahl Zeichen: 7836
contact information:
Town:
Martinsried / Munich
Kategorie:
Business News
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