MorphoSys reaches second clinical milestone with OncoMed Pharmaceuticals

MorphoSys AG announced today that it has received a milestone payment from OncoMed Pharmaceuticals in connection with the FDA acceptance of an IND for a HuCAL-derived, fully human antibody. The antibody OMP-18R5, which targets the Wnt signaling pathway, will be evaluated in a Phase 1 trial in the US in patients with advanced solid tumors.

"This is our first clinical milestone in 2011 bringing the total number of clinical programs with partners to 16," commented Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG. "Additionally, the advancement of a second antibody program into clinical studies within the OncoMed alliance clearly demonstrates the success of this collaboration."

"We are pleased to announce our second HuCAL-derived antibody advancing to clinical testing, which further underscores the productivity of our collaboration with MorphoSys to date," said Paul Hastings, President and Chief Executive Officer of OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

In June 2006, MorphoSys and US-based biopharmaceutical company OncoMed Pharmaceuticals announced the signing of a license agreement on the use of MorphoSys's HuCAL technology in the research and development of human therapeutic antibodies for the treatment of various cancers, including breast, lung, colon and prostate cancer, by targeting cancer stem cells. In June 2008, the collaboration was extended until the end of May 2010. The contract included an option for OncoMed to develop up to five HuCAL-derived therapeutic antibodies. OncoMed already has one HuCAL-based antibody, namely OMP-59R5, in clinical trials.

MorphoSys's clinical pipeline now comprises eleven partnered programs in Phase 1 and five in Phase 2 development as well as the Company's proprietary programs MOR103, which is in a Phase 1b/2a trial for rheumatoid arthritis, and MOR208, which is in a Phase 1 trial for chronic lymphocytic leukemia.