MorphoSys AG / MorphoSys Strengthens Patent Position on MOR202 Program . Processed and transmitted by Thomson Reuters ONE. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) announced today that the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted a patent covering the Company's cancer compound MOR202 (http://www.morphosys.com/pipeline/proprietary-product-portfolio/mor202). The new patent (US 8,088,896) covers MorphoSys's HuCAL antibody against CD38 as well as pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same, and has a scheduled expiry date in 2028, not including any potential regulatory extensions.
"In 2011, MOR202 became our third proprietary antibody program in clinical trials, following MOR103 in rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis and MOR208 in chronic lymphocytic leukemia," commented Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG. "Strengthening our intellectual property position on our proprietary products, particularly in our most important markets Europe, the USA and Asia, is of high priority for MorphoSys."
MOR202 is a fully human HuCAL antibody directed against CD38, a therapeutic target for the treatment of multiple myeloma and certain forms of leukemia. The HuCAL-derived, fully human antibody is currently being tested in a phase 1/2a trial* in patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma.
Currently, MorphoSys is prosecuting more than 40 different proprietary patent families world-wide, in addition to those being pursued in cooperation with its partners.
*Supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of Munich's leading edge cluster m4 - Personalized medicine and targeted therapies
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. The company's AbD Serotec unit uses HuCAL and other antibody technologies to generate superior monoclonal antibodies for research and diagnostic applications.
Together with its pharmaceutical partners, MorphoSys has built a therapeutic pipeline (http://www.morphosys.com/pipeline) of more than 70 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 (http://www.morphosys.com/)
HuCAL®, HuCAL GOLD®, HuCAL PLATINUM®, CysDisplay®, RapMAT® and arYla® are registered trademarks of MorphoSys AG. Ylanthia® and 100 billion high potentialsTM are trademarks 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
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-122
Mario Brkulj
Senior Manager Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-454
Jessica Kulpi
Specialist Corporate Communications & IR
Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-332
investors@morphosys.com (mailto:investors@morphosys.com)
The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(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 Thomson Reuters ONE
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MorphoSys AG
Lena-Christ-Str. 48 Martinsried / München Germany
WKN: 663200;ISIN: DE0006632003;Index:TecDAX,CDAX,Prime All Share,TECH All Share,HDAX,MIDCAP;
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