MorphoSys & Shionogi Partnership Extension
MorphoSys and Shionogi Agree Three-Year Extension of Research Partnership
MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX) announced today that it has expanded its current licence agreement with Shionogi & Co., Ltd., Osaka, Japan. The expanded agreement covers the use of MorphoSys’s HuCAL antibody technology and additional proprietary technology modules for research in drug discovery for three additional years and will be run by the company’s AbD Serotec unit. Under the terms of the agreement, Shionogi will continue to have the right to use MorphoSys’s patented antibody library HuCAL PLATINUM for research purposes at one of its research sites. MorphoSys will receive annual user fees from Shionogi for access to the technologies. Further financial details were not disclosed. “We are very pleased with Shionogi’s decision to continue using our HuCAL antibody technology in drug discovery. Their long-term commitment to HuCAL as a research tool proves the clear scientific and commercial potential the HuCAL technology has beyond acting as a source of therapeutic antibodies,” commented Dieter Feger, Senior Vice President and Head of AbD Serotec.
MorphoSys and Shionogi signed a first license agreement on the use of MorphoSys’s HuCAL technology in September 2005.
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 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
HuCAL®, HuCAL GOLD®, HuCAL PLATINUM®, arYla®, CysDisplay® and RapMAT® are registered trademarks of MorphoSys.
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 & R
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