MorphoSys AG — M&A Activity 2003

Jul 22, 2003

News Details

Corporate | 22 July 2003 07:30

MorphoSys AG english

MorphoSys: Positive Results in Therapeutic Antibody Collaboration with Schering Corporate-news announcement sent by DGAP. The sender is solely responsible for the contents of this announcement. ——————————————————————————– MorphoSys: Positive Results in Therapeutic Antibody Collaboration with Schering MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: MOR; Prime Standard Segment) today disclosed that promising animal model data with selected HuCAL antibodies had been achieved against a cancer target in the collaboration with Schering AG, Germany (FSE: SCH, NYSE: SHR). In the framework of the two companies collaboration, one antibody developed by MorphoSys against an oncological target from Schering showed promising results in in vitro assays for efficacy. Moreover, in tumor localization studies with mice, the antibodies showed tumor specific accumulation. The antibody was generated from the MorphoSys HuCAL GOLD antibody library and subsequently optimized by MorphoSys. The HuCAL antibodies delivered to Schering fulfill predefined success criteria, and will be further tested by Schering. MorphoSys and Schering signed a major strategic collaboration in December 2001, and within the scope of this collaboration, the companies are focusing on the development of human antibodies as therapeutics and as in vivo diagnostics, mainly in the area of oncology. As part of the collaboration the HuCAL GOLD technology from MorphoSys was installed at Schering AG in Berlin, Germany and at Berlex Biosciences, Richmond, CA, U.S.A. Five antibody projects started on commencement of the collaboration. “We are very pleased about the progress in our collaboration with Schering,” stated Dr. Thomas von Rüden, Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG. “Within the collaboration, we work on several promising projects in the area of oncology. We expect several interesting product candidates from the collaboration.” About MorphoSys: MorphoSys develops and applies innovative technologies for the production of synthetic antibodies, which accelerate drug discovery and target characterization. Founded in 1992, the Company’s proprietary Human Combinatorial Antibody Library (HuCALâ) technology is used by researchers worldwide for human antibody generation. The Company currently has licensing and research collaborations with Bayer (Berkeley, California/USA), Biogen Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts/USA), Boehringer Ingelheim (Ingelheim, Germany), Bristol-Myers Squibb (Wilmington, Delaware/USA), Centocor Inc. (Malvern, Pennsylvania/USA), California/USA), GPC Biotech AG (Munich/Germany), Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Basel/Switzerland), ImmunoGen Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts/USA), Oridis Biomed GmbH (Graz/Austria), ProChon Biotech Ltd. (Rehovot/Israel), Schering AG (Berlin/Germany) and Xoma Ltd. (Berkeley, California/USA). For further information please visit the corporate website at: http://www.morphosys.com/ . For more information, please contact MorphoSys: Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Löser, Manager Corporate Communications, Tel. +49 (0)89 89927 122, gutjahr@morphosys.com end of message, (c)DGAP 22.07.2003 ——————————————————————————– WKN: 663200; ISIN: DE0006632003; Index: Nemax 50 Listed: Geregelter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr in Berlin- Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, München und Stuttgart 220730 Jul 03