MorphoSys AG — Regulatory Filings 2004

Sep 8, 2004

News Details

Corporate | 8 September 2004 08:01

MorphoSys Obtains License on Crucell Human Cell Line

Corporate-news announcement sent by DGAP. The sender is solely responsible for the contents of this announcement. ——————————————————————————– MorphoSys Obtains License on Crucell Human Cell Line MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: MOR; Prime Standard Segment) announced today a non-exclusive license agreement with Dutch biotechnology company Crucell N.V. (Euronext/NASDAQ: CRXL) and allied contract manufacturer DSM Biologics. Under the terms of the agreement, MorphoSys receives rights to Crucell’s PER.C6(R) fully human cell line technology for use in its own and partnered antibody research programs conducted at MorphoSys. Furthermore, MorphoSys and its partners have an option to obtain a license for the clinical and commercial production of antibodies isolated from the MorphoSys HuCAL(R) library. The human cell line has been shown to be suited to the development and large-scale manufacturing of a wide range of biologics including antibodies. Financial details were not disclosed. Crucell’s fully human PER.C6(R) cell line is an established technology for the production of antibodies. Thus, MorphoSys is broadening its technology base and diversifies its offering for existing and new partners. The advantages of PER.C6(R) include high-yield production of antibodies, fast production cycles and the provision of human glycosylation patterns. “A key part of our strategy is to maintain technological leadership by incorporating the latest innovations in human as well as bacterial production systems into our platform”, commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG. 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 Idec Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts/USA), Boehringer Ingelheim (Ingelheim, Germany), Bristol-Myers Squibb (Wilmington, Delaware/USA), Centocor Inc. (Malvern, Pennsylvania/USA), GPC Biotech AG (Munich/Germany), Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Basel/Switzerland), ImmunoGen Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts/USA), Novartis AG (Basel/Switzerland), Novoplant GmbH (Gatersleben/Germany), Oridis Biomed GmbH (Graz/Austria), Pfizer Inc. (Delaware/USA), 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/. About Crucell: Crucell N.V. is a biotechnology company focused on developing vaccines and antibodies that prevent and treat infectious diseases, including Ebola, influenza, malaria and West Nile virus. The company’s development programs include collaborations with Aventis Pasteur for influenza vaccines, the U.S. National Institutes of Health for Ebola and malaria vaccines, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and New York University for a malaria vaccine. Crucell’s products are based on its innovative PER.C6â technology, which offers a safer, more efficient way to produce biopharmaceuticals. The company licenses its PER.C6â technology to the biopharmaceutical industry on a mostly non-exclusive basis. Licensees and CMO partners include DSM Biologics, GSK, Centocor/J&J and Merck & Co., Inc. Crucell is headquartered in Leiden, The Netherlands, and currently employs 180 people. Crucell is listed on the Euronext and NASDAQ stock exchanges (ticker symbol CRXL). For more information, please visit http://www.crucell.com/ About DSM Biologics DSM Biologics, a business unit of the DSM Pharmaceutical Products business group, is one of the world’s leading contract manufacturers of biopharmaceutical products, the latest generation of drugs, mainly on the basis of native molecules and produced with the help of cell cultures. The company is renowned for its experience in the use of a broad range of cell culture systems (microbial and mammalian) and its expertise in the field of purification techniques. Established in 1986, DSM Biologics currently employs about 450 people, who are based at the company’s two sites, one in Groningen, the Netherlands (ca. 1,000 liters fermentor capacity and 6,000 m2) and one in Montreal, Quebec, Canada (ca. 6,500 liters fermentor capacity and presently 10,000 m2). DSM Biologics is a joint venture of DSM and Société générale de financement du Québec (SGF), an industrial and financial holding company, which carries out economic development projects, especially in the industrial sector, in cooperation with partners and in accordance with accepted requirements for profitability that comply with the economic development policy of the Government of Québec. For more information, please visit http://www.dsmbiologics.com/ Statements included in this press release which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the safe harbour provided by Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “expects” and similar expressions. The company cautions readers that forward-looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the company’s future operations and business prospects, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may affect future operations and business prospects include, but are not limited to, clinical and scientific results and developments concerning corporate collaborations and the company’s proprietary rights and other factors described in the prospectus relating to the company’s recent public offering. For more information, please contact MorphoSys: Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Löser, Director Corporate Communications, Tel. +49 (0)89 89927 122, gutjahr@morphosys.com / Mario Brkulj, PR Specialist, Tel. +49 (0)89 89927 454, brkulj@morphosys.com end of message, (c)DGAP 08.09.2004 ——————————————————————————– WKN: 663200; ISIN: DE0006632003; Index: Nemax 50 Listed: Geregelter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr in Berlin- Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, München und Stuttgart 080801 Sep 04