MARTINSRIED / MUNICH, Germany, July 23, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX, OTC: MPSYY) announced today that it has received a milestone payment from Novartis in connection with the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial of a HuCAL antibody in the field of blood disorders. This becomes the eleventh therapeutic antibody made using MorphoSys's technologies that Novartis is evaluating in clinical trials. The associated milestone payment was booked in Q2 2015.
"With eleven therapeutic antibody programs in clinical development to date, our alliance with Novartis has resulted in a substantial drug candidate portfolio," commented Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG. "Today's news represents the second clinical milestone with our partners during the course of this year."
MorphoSys's collaboration with Novartis has resulted in eleven clinical programs to date, six of which are in Phase 1 development, with another four programs in Phase 2 and one in Phase 3. In total, MorphoSys's proprietary and partnered clinical pipeline currently comprises 24 unique antibody molecules, which are being evaluated in more than 50 clinical trials.
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
HUG#1940533
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