MorphoSys, Roche expand therapeutic antibody partnership

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, March 1 - MorphoSys AG and Roche announced Wednesday a collaboration to develop new therapeutic antibodies in oncology.

Expanding on a September 2000 relationship in Alzheimer's disease, Roche said it will select new target molecules against which MorphoSys will generate antibodies using its proprietary HuCAL GOLD technology, according to a company news release.

"Extending our active alliance shows a positive and constructive working relationship between Roche and MorphoSys," Peter Hug, Roche's global head of pharma partnering, said in the release. "We are pleased to collaborate with a proven partner in a new therapeutic area."

Under terms of the agreement, Roche and MorphoSys said they will collaborate on two new antibody programs in oncology.

Roche said it will be responsible for preclinical and clinical development as well as subsequent marketing of all resulting products.

MorphoSys said it will receive an upfront payment and may receive additional research funding and future event payments totaling more than €10 million per program, plus potential royalties.

Roche is a Basel, Switzerland, research-based pharmaceutical and diagnostics health care company.

MorphoSys, based in Munich, Germany, develops and applies innovative technologies for the production of synthetic antibodies, which accelerate drug discovery and target characterization.

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