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PRESS RELEASE: MorphoSys Initiates Infectious Disease Alliance with ContraFect

MorphoSys AG /
MorphoSys Initiates Infectious Disease Alliance with ContraFect
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The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. 

Combinatorial Approach Using Multi-Therapy Antibody Treatment 

MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment) announced today the formation of
a new alliance with US-based biotechnology company ContraFect Corp. in the
discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies for infectious diseases.
Under the terms of the five-year agreement, ContraFect will receive access to
HuCAL PLATINUM, the latest and most powerful version of MorphoSys's antibody
libraries, and AutoCAL at its facility in New York. Payments under the agreement
include committed annual license fees in addition to success-based development
milestones. MorphoSys also stands to receive royalties on sales of marketed drug
products emerging from the collaboration. 

ContraFect is a biotechnology company pioneering the use of monoclonal
antibodies to treat life-threatening infectious diseases, including MRSA
infections and Influenza. ContraFect's scientific approach is based on a
transition from conventional mono-therapy to a combinatorial approach using
multi-therapy antibody treatment to address the growing challenge of drug
resistance and therapy escape mechanisms. 

MorphoSys AG currently has a pipeline of more than 70 drug candidates including
17 in clinical development. MorphoSys's list of partners includes a roster of
bluechip biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms, such as Boehringer Ingelheim,
Daiichi Sankyo, Merck & Company, Novartis, Pfizer and Roche. "The HuCAL PLATINUM
technology has shown great potential in yielding highly effective therapeutics
for the treatment of infectious diseases. We will continue to exploit this
attractive commercial opportunity within selected partnerships, including this
new collaboration with ContraFect", commented Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief
Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG. 

Dr. Robert Nowinski, Chief Executive Officer of ContraFect said, "By
simultaneously attacking multiple targets on pathogens, no single mutation or
genetic re-assortment can result in escape from therapy; antibodies are uniquely
suited to accomplish this therapeutic goal. In effect, the end result is similar
in approach to the drug cocktails that are used against HIV. Using HuCAL to
generate these antibodies was of key importance to us since this technology
enables the selection of thousands of unique antibody molecules from a single
library." 

ContraFect was founded in 2008 by Dr. Nowinski. Prior to founding ContraFect,
Dr. Nowinski founded six biotechnology companies including Genetic Systems (now
part of Bristol-Myers), Icos (now part of Eli Lilly) and PathoGenesis (now part
of Novartis). 

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. Its most
advanced program MOR103, a first-in-class, fully human antibody against GM-CSF,
is currently being tested in a Phase Ib/IIa trial in rheumatoid arthritis
patients. 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(®), AutoCAL(®), CysDisplay(®) and
RapMAT(®) are registered trademarks of MorphoSys; arYla(TM) is a trademark of
MorphoSys. 

About ContraFect: 

ContraFect Corporation is a biotechnology company pioneering the use of
monoclonal antibodies and lysins to treat life-threatening infectious diseases.
ContraFect's initial products include agents to treat diseases such as MRSA
(drug resistant staphylococcus bacteria), other serious bacterial infections,
and influenza. 

ContraFect's scientific approach is based on the following principles: 

  * Monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of life threatening bacterial and
    viral diseases
  * Lysins for the treatment of drug-resistant gram positive bacteria, such as
    staphylococcus (MRSA), streptococcus and intestinal infections
  * Transition from conventional mono-therapy to a combinatorial approach using
    multi-therapy antibody and Lysin treatments
  * Address the growing challenge of drug resistance and therapy escape
    mechanisms used by pathogens 

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 

Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-122 

Mario Brkulj 

Senior Manager Corporate Communications & IR 

Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-454 

Jessica Kulpi 

Specialist Corporate Communications & IR 

Tel: +49 (0) 89 / 899 27-332 

investors@morphosys.com 

ContraFect Corp 

Barry Kappel, Ph.D., MBA 

VP, Business Development 

Tel: +1 212 359 9552 

www.contrafect.com 

 --- End of Message --- 

MorphoSys AG
Lena-Christ-Str. 48 Martinsried / München Germany 

WKN: 663200;ISIN: DE0006632003;Index:TecDAX,CDAX,Prime All Share,TECH All Share,HDAX,MIDCAP;
Listed: Freiverkehr in Börse Stuttgart,
Freiverkehr in Hanseatische Wertpapierbörse zu Hamburg,
Freiverkehr in Börse Berlin,
Freiverkehr in Börse Düsseldorf,
Freiverkehr in Bayerische Börse München,
Freiverkehr in Niedersächsische Börse zu Hannover,
Prime Standard in Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse,
Regulierter Markt in Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse; 

Press Release:
http://hugin.info/130295/R/1504024/439646.pdf 

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     originality of the information contained therein. 

Source: MorphoSys AG via Thomson Reuters ONE 

[HUG#1504024] 

http://www.morphosys.com 

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

April 11, 2011 01:33 ET (05:33 GMT)