MorphoSys AG announced today that it has received a milestone payment from Pfizer in connection with the IND filing in December 2010 and subsequent initiation of a phase 1 clinical trial of a HuCAL-derived, fully human antibody in the therapeutic area of oncology.
"We are delighted to add Pfizer to the list of partner companies running clinical trials with HuCAL-based antibodies," commented Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG. "In total, seven different partners from the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry are currently running clinical trials with our antibodies."
MorphoSys and Pfizer originally entered a collaboration for the development of therapeutic antibodies in December 2003. In December 2006, MorphoSys announced an early expansion of its collaboration with Pfizer. Under the extended agreement, Pfizer secured an option to begin several therapeutic antibody projects with MorphoSys.
MorphoSys's clinical pipeline currently comprises ten 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.
MorphoSys
