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PRESS RELEASE: MorphoSys and Daiichi Sankyo Forge Alliance to Develop Novel Antibody Therapies against Hospital-Acquired Infections

MorphoSys Secures First  Therapeutic Alliance  Focused on  Infectious
Diseases 

MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt Stock Exchange: MOR; Prime Standard  Segment)
announced today the formation of  a new alliance with DAIICHI  SANKYO
COMPANY, LIMITED  (TSE: 4568)  in the  discovery and  development  of
therapeutic antibodies for hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infections.
Daiichi Sankyo  becomes  MorphoSys's  first  collaborator  for  HuCAL
PLATINUM®-based drug discovery in infectious diseases. 

"This is  another  landmark  deal  for MorphoSys  and  is  our  first
initiative in  the infectious  disease  arena," commented  Dr.  Simon
Moroney, Chief Executive  Officer of MorphoSys  AG. "Today's news  is
proof  that  MorphoSys  can  tap  new  growth  opportunities  in  the
therapeutic antibody field on top of the established partnerships the
Company has  in place.  We see  lucrative opportunities  for our  new
HuCAL Platinum technology in the  infectious disease field, which  we
intend to exploit within selected partnerships in the years ahead." 

Under the terms of the  agreement, MorphoSys and Daiichi Sankyo  will
collaboratively apply HuCAL  PLATINUM, the latest  and most  powerful
version of MorphoSys's antibody libraries. The companies will jointly
apply established as well as novel approaches to generate  optimized,
fully human therapeutic  antibodies against  targets associated  with
nosocomial infections. Daiichi Sankyo will also commit to funding the
development of  certain  infectious disease  specific  technology  at
MorphoSys,  which  will  be  used  to  identify  the  most  effective
antibody-based drugs. 

Total payments under the agreement include committed license fees and
R&D funding  in  addition to  success-based  development  milestones.
MorphoSys also stands to receive royalties on sales of marketed drugs
emerging from the collaboration. 

There is  a  large,  unmet need  for  effective,  long-lasting  drugs
against  pathogens  in  difficult  to  treat  nosocomial  infections.
Current mortality rates in the specific area of focus are reported as
40%-60%, due  primarily to  resistance to  existing antibiotics.  The
global  market  for  such  drugs  targeted  solely  at  blood  stream
infections and hospital acquired pneumonia is estimated to exceed  $1
billion. 

MorphoSys and Daiichi Sankyo  started working together  in 2006 in  a
collaboration that has  resulted to date  in four active  therapeutic
antibody programs mainly in oncology.  The new agreement is built  on
the strong existing relationship between the partners. 

About MorphoSys:
MorphoSys is an independent biotechnology company that develops novel
antibodies for therapeutic, diagnostic and research applications. The
Company's HuCAL  technology  is  one of  the  most  powerful  methods
available for  generating  fully human  antibodies.  By  successfully
applying this  and  other  proprietary  technologies,  MorphoSys  has
become a leader in  the field of therapeutic  antibodies, one of  the
fastest-growing  drug  classes  in  human  health-care.  Through  its
alliances with some of the world's leading pharmaceutical  companies,
MorphoSys has created a pipeline of more than 60 drug candidates. The
Company is  expanding  its  drug pipeline  by  adding  new  partnered
programs, and  by building  a  portfolio of  fully-owned  therapeutic
antibodies. For its proprietary portfolio, the Company is focused  on
the areas of oncology and inflammation, within which it plans to have
eight active programs by the end  of 2009. Its most advanced  program
is MOR103,  a first-in-class,  fully human  antibody against  GM-CSF.
MorphoSys expects to commence a  Phase Ib/IIa trial of this  antibody
in rheumatoid arthritis patients in the second half of 2009. Via  its
business unit AbD Serotec,  MorphoSys is expanding  the reach of  its
technologies in the  diagnostics and research  markets. MorphoSys  is
headquartered in Munich,  Germany and listed  on the Frankfurt  Stock
Exchange under  the  symbol  "MOR". For  further  information,  visit
http://www.morphosys.com/ 

HuCAL®, HuCAL  GOLD®,  HuCAL  PLATINUM® and  RapMAT®  are  registered
trademarks of MorphoSys AG 

About DAIICHI SANKYO
DAIICHI SANKYO is  a global  pharmaceutical company  that focuses  on
researching and  marketing innovative  medications. The  company  was
created in  2005  through  the merger  of  two  traditional  Japanese
enterprises, Daiichi and Sankyo. With net sales of nearly 5.9 billion
EUR in  fiscal year  2008, DAIICHI  SANKYO  is one  of the  world's  20
leading pharmaceutical companies. The company's world headquarters is
in Tokyo, and its European base is located in Munich. DAIICHI  SANKYO
has affiliates  in 12  European countries  and has  been one  of  the
strongest Japanese pharmaceutical companies  located in Europe  since
it set up  European production  facilities and  marketing offices  in
1990. The  company's  research  activities  focus  on  the  areas  of
cardiovascular diseases,  hematology, diabetes,  anti-infectives  and
cancer. Its aim is  to develop medications that  are "best" in  their
class or  to create  new classes  of pharmaceutical  drugs. For  more
information, please visit: www.daiichi-sankyo.eu. 

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 & IR
Phone: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-122
claudia.gutjahr-loeser@morphosys.com 

Mario Brkulj
Senior Manager Corporate Communications & IR
Phone: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-454
mario.brkulj@morphosys.com 

Jessica Kulpi
Specialist Corporate Communications & IR
Phone: +49 (0) 89 899 27 332
jessica.kulpi@morphosys.com 

DAIICHI SANKYO EUROPE
Thorsten Schüller
Head of Media Relations Europe
Tel: + 49 (0)89/78 08 657
thorsten.schueller@daiichi-sankyo.eu 

This announcement was originally distributed by Hugin. The issuer is
solely responsible for the content of this announcement. 

http://hugin.info/130295/R/1348468/324555.pdf
http://www.morphosys.com
Copyright © Hugin AS 2009. All rights reserved. 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 20, 2009 01:31 ET (05:31 GMT)