Existing Partnerships

A central objective of MorphoSys is to establish its HuCAL technology as a standard technology for antibody generation, spanning the research, diagnostic and therapeutic markets. MorphoSys has established a broad product pipeline of therapeutic antibody programs within the scope of commercial agreements with partners, in addition to its own proprietary programs. These therapeutic programs exemplify the primary focus of MorphoSys’s commercial activities: leveraging the power of HuCAL for the development of new therapeutic agents.

Astellas Pharma Inc.
Bayer Schering Pharma AG
Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH
Centocor, Inc.
Daiichi-Sankyo
F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG
Galapagos
GeneFrontier Corporation

ImmunoGen, Inc.
Merck & Co., Inc.
Novartis AG
OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Pfizer, Inc.
ProChon Biotech Ltd.
Schering-Plough Corporation
Shionogi & Co., Ltd.

Astellas Pharma, Inc.

MorphoSys and Astellas Pharma, Inc., Japan’s second-largest ethical pharmaceutical company, entered into a license agreement for the use of MorphoSys’s HuCAL technology in March 2007. In addition to an up-front payment, MorphoSys receives annual user fees during the life span of the agreement. In February 2008, Astellas decided to extend the current collaboration between the two companies for four more years until 2012.

During the term of the agreement, Astellas will have continued access to the MorphoSys HuCAL GOLD library at its research site in Tsukuba, Japan for use in its internal pharmaceutical drug discovery programs. Additionally, Astellas has the option to start antibody projects during the life time of the agreement. Under the optional collaboration component of the alliance, MorphoSys will utilize its HuCAL GOLD antibody library to generate novel HuCAL antibodies against targets provided by Astellas. Subsequently, Astellas will be responsible for preclinical and clinical development of these compounds, as well as the ensuing marketing of resulting products. For projects initiated under the collaboration, MorphoSys stands to receive research funding, plus licensing and milestone payments, as well as royalties on end-product sales.

In July 2008, Astellas exercised a preexisting option to use MorphoSys’s proprietary RapMAT technology for faster antibody optimization as part of the existing technology transfer agreements between the two companies. As a result, MorphoSys receives annual user fees for the RapMAT technology in addition to user fees for the HuCAL platform.

Top

Bayer Schering Pharma AG

MorphoSys and Bayer AG (Germany/USA) signed a wide-ranging antibody collaboration in December 1999. In December 2005, the collaboration was extended by another five years, with a termination option after the first collaboration year. Additionally, MorphoSys had a strategic alliance with Schering AG (Germany) since December 2001. In December 2004, the collaboration was extended until the end of 2007.

As a result of the take-over by Bayer, Schering AG has been renamed Bayer Schering Pharma AG in December 2006. After the acquisition, the collaboration with Bayer was terminated and all activities were consolidated under the Schering agreement, for the duration of another year.

The active collaboration with Bayer Schering Pharma AG was concluded by the end of 2007. Several therapeutic antibody programs are currently in development and could result in future development-dependent milestone payments and royalties on product sales.

Top

Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH

MorphoSys and Boehringer Ingelheim signed a collaboration in the field of therapeutic antibodies in February 2003. In the context of the agreement, MorphoSys received the exclusive, global license for certain patents owned by or under the control of Boehringer Ingelheim. In exchange, Boehringer Ingelheim received exclusive licenses for therapeutic antibodies against two undisclosed target molecules.

In February 2005, both companies agreed to expand the existing cooperation involving research and therapeutic applications. Under the new contract, Boehringer Ingelheim acquired an option to receive several exclusive licenses on new therapeutic antibody programs. Additionally, Boehringer Ingelheim obtained access to MorphoSys’s HuCAL GOLD library for research purposes at its research facilities in Vienna, Austria. Under the terms of the agreement, MorphoSys receives a technology access fee, annual license fees and optional R&D funding over the five-year collaboration term. For therapeutic antibodies emerging from the collaboration, Boehringer Ingelheim will pay milestone fees and royalties to MorphoSys.

In November 2006, MorphoSys and Boehringer Ingelheim expanded their collaboration with a new cancer-related antibody program. Boehringer Ingelheim exercised an option for optimizing a therapeutic HuCAL antibody and acquired an exclusive license for this project. The antibody identified by Boehringer Ingelheim at its research site in Vienna is directed against a cancer disease-related target molecule.

In June 2008, Boehringer Ingelheim exercised a preexisting option to use MorphoSys’s proprietary RapMAT technology for faster antibody optimization as part of the existing technology transfer agreements between the two companies. As a result, MorphoSys receives annual user fees for the RapMAT technology in addition to user fees for the HuCAL platform.

Top

Centocor, Inc.

MorphoSys and Centocor, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, signed a five-year agreement in December 2000. In December 2004, the agreement with Centocor was extended until the end of 2007.

The active collaboration was concluded by the end of 2007. Presently, several therapeutic antibody programs are in different stages of development in several indications and could result in future development-dependent milestone payments and royalties on product sales. The most advanced compound within this collaboration is currently in a phase 2 clinical trial in an immunology indication and a phase 1 clinical trial in oncology patients.

Top

Daiichi-Sankyo

In March 2006, MorphoSys and Sankyo Company, Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Japanese pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo Company, Ltd., entered into a license agreement and therapeutic antibody collaboration for an initial two-year term with the option of an extension of up to three more years. Under the terms of the agreement, Daiichi Sankyo committed to start one therapeutic antibody program with MorphoSys and received an option for up to five further programs.

In March 2008, the collaboration was extended until March 2011. The extension triggered an additional up-front payment and resulted in increased research funding for MorphoSys. During the term of the agreement, Daiichi Sankyo will have continued access to MorphoSys’s HuCAL GOLD library at its research site in Tokyo. Additionally, MorphoSys will apply its proprietary HuCAL GOLD technology to generate human antibodies against targets provided by Daiichi Sankyo.

Top

F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG

MorphoSys and F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG based in Basel, Switzerland, announced the signing of an agreement in September 2000 under which the companies collaborate on the development of human therapeutic antibodies for a Roche biological target associated with Alzheimer’s disease.

Under the terms of the collaboration MorphoSys selected several antibodies from its HuCAL library against the Alzheimer target amyloid beta-peptide (A-beta), hitting the first two milestones in December 2000 and March 2001. In achieving these two milestones, MorphoSys delivered a series of HuCAL antibodies which were shown to bind selectively to the Roche target in human Alzheimer brain tissue sections. In July 2002, MorphoSys achieved another milestone. MorphoSys generated HuCAL antibodies demonstrating high affinity binding to the Roche target in both in vitro assays and in an Alzheimer’s animal model.

In January 2006, Roche has filed all necessary applications to commence a European Phase 1 clinical trial with the HuCAL-derived antibody to treat Alzheimer’s disease. The HuCAL-antibody targets abnormal build-ups of amyloid beta protein in cerebral tissue, which are typical of Alzheimer’s patients, and is intended to help remove them. The applications filing to commence clinical trials triggers a clinical milestone payment from Roche.

In the context of the collaboration, MorphoSys will receive development-related milestone payments and royalties on any marketed products emerging from the collaboration. Expanding on the relationship in Alzheimer’s disease, MorphoSys and Roche announced a new collaboration to develop new therapeutic antibodies in oncology in March 2006. Roche will elect two new target molecules against which MorphoSys will generate antibodies using its HuCAL GOLD technology.

Read more about HuCAL against Alzheimer’s disease:
MorphoSys Antibody to Fight Alzheimer’s Disease

Top

Galapagos

In November 2008, MorphoSys AG and Galapagos NV announced the launch of a long term co-development alliance aimed at discovering and developing antibody therapies based on novel modes of action in bone and joint disease, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.

The alliance spans all activities from target discovery through to completion of proof of concept clinical trials of novel therapeutic antibodies. Following proof of concept in human clinical trials, programs will be partnered for subsequent development, approval and marketing. Both companies will contribute their core technologies and expertise to the alliance. Galapagos will provide antibody targets implicated in bone and joint disease in addition to its adenoviral target discovery platform to discover further targets for antibody development. MorphoSys will contribute its HuCAL antibody technologies to generate fully human antibodies directed against these targets. Under the terms of the agreement, Galapagos and MorphoSys will share the research and development costs, as well as all future revenues equally.

Top

GeneFrontier Corporation

MorphoSys and Tokyo-based GeneFrontier Corporation announced the signing of a marketing cooperation in order to access the Japanese life science market in September 2004. The objective of the cooperation was to drive new business opportunities by establishing the HuCAL technology of MorphoSys as the premium brand for both research and therapeutic antibody generation in Japan. Since signature, MorphoSys and GeneFrontier were able to secure three therapeutic partnerships for MorphoSys with large pharmaceutical companies in Japan, namely Astellas Pharma, Daiichi Sankyo and Shionogi.

In January 2007, MorphoSys and GeneFrontier announced an expansion of their existing marketing alliance. The expanded collaboration covers the generation of HuCAL-derived fully human antibodies for proteome research and target validation together with a renowned Japanese research organization as well as commercialization of resulting antibody products. Under the terms of the agreement, GeneFrontier utilizes MorphoSys’s HuCAL GOLD antibody library to generate novel HuCAL antibodies against targets provided by its collaboration partner. For this purpose, the HuCAL antibody technology was installed at GeneFrontier’s research laboratories within a research facility in Tokyo. GeneFrontier provides MorphoSys with financial compensation for access to the HuCAL technology. GeneFrontier and MorphoSys agreed to share commercialization rights for all antibodies discovered in this project against targets identified and validated by GeneFrontier with its partner.

In November 2007, MorphoSys initiated an additional therapeutic target sourcing collaboration in Japan with GeneFrontier. The expansion of the existing alliance with GeneFrontier aims to increase MorphoSys’s access to innovative, druggable therapeutic targets sourced from leading Japanese research institutes and universities, which will in turn further strengthen MorphoSys’s proprietary drug development capabilities. Under the terms of the agreement, research institutes in Japan will be offered access to HuCAL-based research antibodies against novel disease-related target molecules in exchange for commercialization rights. Antibodies for selected projects will be generated by GeneFrontier using MorphoSys’s proprietary HuCAL antibody technology at its research laboratories in Tokyo. MorphoSys will have access to all research results and data around the selected research programs and the option to secure worldwide rights on such antibody programs.

Top

ImmunoGen, Inc.

In September 2000, MorphoSys entered into a cooperation with ImmunoGen, Inc. (USA), focussing on the development of human antibodies for the treatment of cancer. In the cooperation, MorphoSys is applying its HuCAL technology to discover and optimize fully human antibodies against an unspecified ImmunoGen cell-surface target associated with a number of forms of cancer.

The agreement between the two companies was expanded by four years in June 2001 to include a research license from MorphoSys to ImmunoGen for MorphoSys’s HuCAL antibody library technology. This technology is used to generate research antibodies for use in ImmunoGen’s functional genomics programs in order to help validate new targets.

In June 2005, the agreement was extended again, and ImmunoGen licensed access to the MorphoSys HuCAL GOLD library for use in its internal target research programs. The research collaboration was successfully concluded at the end of May 2006. MorphoSys is eligible to receive development-related milestone payments and royalties on any marketed products emerging from the collaboration.

Top

Merck & Co., Inc.

In December 2005, MorphoSys AG signed a five-year license agreement with U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck & Co., Inc. for the use of MorphoSys’s HuCAL GOLD and AutoCAL technologies in research and development of human therapeutic antibodies. Furthermore, the agreement enables Merck to develop up to 10 HuCAL-derived therapeutic antibodies in a range of indications.

MorphoSys receives an up-front payment, annual user fees and R&D funding. MorphoSys is also eligible to receive license and milestone payments on projects in clinical development, and royalties on any end-products emerging from the collaboration.

Top

Novartis AG

MorphoSys and Novartis AG started working together in 2004 in a collaboration that has so far resulted in multiple active therapeutic antibody programs across various diseases and the first IND filing in September 2007, just three years after initiation.

In December 2007, MorphoSys and Novartis substantially enlarged their previous relationship and forged one of the most comprehensive strategic alliances in the discovery and development of biopharmaceuticals. Based on a ten-year term, committed annual payments total more than US$ 600 million in technology access, internalization fees and R&D funding, excluding reimbursement of R&D costs related to early-stage development activities.

Total payments under the agreement, including committed payments and probability-weighted success-based milestones, contingent upon successful clinical development and market approval of multiple products, could potentially exceed US $ 1 billion, assuming the collaboration successfully runs its maximum term. In addition to these payments, MorphoSys would also be entitled to royalty payments and/or profit sharing on any future product sales.

Additionally, MorphoSys also has options to participate in certain development activities in various programs, with part of the early-stage costs being funded by Novartis. Under the co-development options, MorphoSys may elect to participate in these projects through cost and profit-sharing with financial participation reflecting its level of investment in the respective programs.

Top

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

MorphoSys and US-based biopharmaceutical company OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced in June 2006 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 by targeting cancer stem cells. In June 2008, the collaboration was extended until June 2010.

OncoMed Pharmaceuticals is discovering and developing mono-clonal antibodies and proteins capable of destroying “cancer stem cells”, a recently discovered type of cell believed to seed the growth of cancers and underlie cancer’s ability to spread and take root in tissues. OncoMed is at the forefront of applying research from the University of Michigan to isolate, purify, and analyze cancer stem cells.

Under the terms of the agreement, MorphoSys grants OncoMed access to its proprietary antibody library HuCAL GOLD for use by OncoMed in its drug discovery programs. The contract includes an option for OncoMed to develop up to ﬁ ve HuCAL-derived therapeutic antibodies. MorphoSys received an up-front payment and receives annual user fees during the life span of the agreement.

Top

Pfizer, Inc.

In December 2003, MorphoSys entered into a collaboration with US pharmaceutical company Pfizer Inc. for the development of therapeutic antibodies. MorphoSys will use its HuCAL GOLD library to generate therapeutic antibodies against multiple targets from Pfizer. Pfizer will carry out the preclinical and clinical development and the subsequent marketing of resultant products.

In December 2006, MorphoSys announced an early expansion of its collaboration with Pfizer until the end of 2011. Under the extended agreement, Pfizer has the option to begin new therapeutic antibody projects with MorphoSys resulting in an increased level of programs to be performed within the collaboration. As a result, the potential value for MorphoSys in research funding and potential developmental milestone payments increased to more than US$ 100 million, not including royalties. Additionally, the extension triggered a one-off payment from Pfizer to MorphoSys.

Top

ProChon Biotech Ltd.

An agreement between MorphoSys and ProChon Biotech Ltd., an Israeli biotechnology Company and spin-off of the Weizmann Institute, was signed in May 2000. Under the agreement, MorphoSys applied its HuCAL antibody library to generate human antibodies against a human growth factor receptor associated with various skeletal disorders including achondroplasia, the most common form of human dwarfism, as well as certain cancers.

MorphoSys is eligible to receive development-related milestone payments and royalties on any marketed products emerging from the collaboration.

Top

Schering-Plough Corporation

In May 2006, MorphoSys and Schering-Plough Corporation signed a license agreement for the use of MorphoSys’s HuCAL GOLD technology in the research and development of human therapeutic antibodies. The collaboration has a maximum term of five years until 2011 and may be extended by Schering-Plough after each single year. Schering-Plough lastly exercised this option in June 2009.

Under the terms of the agreement, MorphoSys grants access to its proprietary antibody library to Schering-Plough for use in its drug discovery programs at its research site in Palo Alto, California. Furthermore, the contract provides Schering-Plough with the option to develop HuCAL-derived therapeutic antibodies against up to ten disease-related targets.

According to the agreement, MorphoSys will receive an up-front payment, annual user fees and optional R&D funding. For therapeutic antibody projects undertaken by Schering-Plough, MorphoSys is eligible to receive license and milestone payments related to the successful advancement of projects in clinical development, and royalties on HuCAL antibodies developed under the agreement.

Top

Shionogi & Co., Ltd.

MorphoSys AG and Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi & Co., Ltd. signed a three-year license agreement on the use of MorphoSys’s HuCAL technology in September 2005. In September 2008, the partnership was extended for three additional years.

Under the terms of the agreement, MorphoSys grants Shionogi access to its HuCAL GOLD antibody library for use in Shionogi’s pharmaceutical drug discovery programs. During the three-year term of the agreement, Shionogi will have access to the MorphoSys HuCAL GOLD library for research purposes at one of its research sites. In return, MorphoSys received an up-front payment and generates annual user fees during the life span of the agreement.

Suche

Quicklinks

Navigation

Subnavigation