MorphoSys AG — Regulatory Filings 2003

Oct 9, 2003

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Corporate | 9 October 2003 10:14

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MorphoSys Presents Promising Data from its Preclinical Antibody Candidates Corporate-news announcement sent by DGAP. The sender is solely responsible for the contents of this announcement. ——————————————————————————– MorphoSys Presents Promising Animal Model Data from its Preclinical Antibody Candidates MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: MOR; Prime Standard Segment) announced today that the first promising animal data from preclinical studies for its anti-inflammatory antibody programs MOR101 and MOR102 have been presented at the Human Antibodies & Hybridomas Conference in Osaka, Japan. The antibody programs MOR101 and MOR102 target ICAM-1, a cell adhesion molecule involved in several inflammatory diseases including psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and dermal burn. MOR101 and MOR102 are currently in preclinical development for deep dermal burn (second degree burn) and psoriasis. In clinical trials conducted several years ago, Boehringer Ingelheim found first preliminary evidence for the usefulness of a mouse antibody BIRR-1 (enlimomab) against ICAM-1 in deep dermal burn and rheumatoid arthritis. MorphoSys has to-date completed the in vitro profiling for MOR101 and MOR102, and both antibodies, which were generated from MorphoSys’ HuCAL GOLD antibody library, demonstrated potency equivalent to the Boehringer Ingelheim murine antibody. MOR102, a HuCAL IgG4 antibody, initially will be developed for the treatment of psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory disorder. In an in vivo human psoriatic skin xenotransplant model conducted in collaboration with Prof. Boehncke, Department of Dermatology at the University of Frankfurt, proof of principle was demonstrated for the antibody. The data showed that treatment with MOR102 reduced psoriatic epidermal thickness by 40% in mice carrying transplants of human psoriatic skin. In its antibody program MOR101, MorphoSys is developing a human HuCAL Fab fragment for the treatment of deep dermal burn. In an initial animal model conducted in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Dr. Pallua and Dr. Fuchs, Clinic for Plastic Surgery at the University of Aachen, a chimeric Fab fragment derived from the murine BIRR-1 proved to be as potent as the immunoglobulin BIRR-1 antibody. As a result of these positive data, MorphoSys now plans to further develop its proprietary programs MOR101 and MOR 102. The fully human HuCAL antibodies against ICAM-1 are expected to have excellent efficacy profiles in these inflammatory disorders while having none of the immunogenic side effects associated with the mouse antibody. Moreover, the antibodies are expected to suppress inflammation directly at the site of inflammation, as opposed to being systemically immune suppressive. As such, systemic immune suppressive side effects could be minimized. “We believe that ICAM-1 is a very promising target for the treatment of a number of inflammatory conditions”, commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG. “This belief is underpinned by the data generated by Boehringer Ingelheim with BIRR-1 in the clinic. We are excited about the initial pre-clinical results on both of our proprietary programs and will continue to generate additional data on MOR101 and MOR102 as we look to partner them for further development”. 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 09.10.2003 ——————————————————————————– WKN: 663200; ISIN: DE0006632003; Index: Nemax 50 Listed: Geregelter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr in Berlin- Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, München und Stuttgart 091014 Okt 03