MARTINSRIED, Germany, Dec. 28, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt:MOR) (Prime Standard Segment:TecDAX) today announced that it has submitted a clinical trial application (CTA) to initiate a phase 1 trial using the HuCAL-derived antibody MOR103 for the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis. MorphoSys plans to reveal the target molecule of its lead antibody program MOR103 and additional information on the design of the phase 1 clinical study on January 16, 2008.
"The initiation of clinical development of our lead proprietary drug candidate MOR103 is a significant milestone for MorphoSys and we achieved it as planned by the end of 2007. We look forward to providing an in-depth update on MOR103 in January," commented Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG.
For further information please contact: Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Loser, Head of Corporate Communications & Investor Relations, Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-122, gutjahr-loeser@morphosys.com or Mario Brkulj, Manager Corporate Communications & Investor Relations, Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-454, brkulj@morphosys.com
MorphoSys will hold a public conference call and live audio webcast on January 16, 2008 to provide detailed information on its lead compound MOR103. Additional information will be provided on the Company's website: http://www.morphosys.com/conferencecalls
About MorphoSys:
MorphoSys is a publicly traded biotechnology company focused on the generation of fully human antibodies as a means to discover and develop innovative antibody-based drugs against life-threatening diseases. MorphoSys's goal is to establish HuCAL as the technology of choice for antibody generation in research, diagnostics and therapeutic applications. The Company currently has therapeutic and research alliances with the majority of the world largest pharmaceutical companies including Bayer-Schering, Boehringer Ingelheim, Centocor/Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Pfizer and Roche. Within these partnerships, more than 40 therapeutic antibody programs are ongoing in which MorphoSys participates through exclusive license and milestones payments as well as royalties on any end products. Additionally, MorphoSys is active in the antibody research market through its AbD Serotec business unit. The business unit has operations in Germany (Munich), the U.S. (Raleigh, NC) and U.K. (Oxford). For further information please visit http://www.morphosys.com/
HuCAL(r) and HuCAL GOLD(r) are registered 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.