Morphosys extends antibody alliance with Schering

Collaboration extended

Germany’s leading monoclonal antibody specialist, MorphoSys AG of Munich, has announced that Schering-Plough Corporation is to extend the current collaboration between the two companies for a further year. The collaboration, announced in May 2006, has a maximum term of 5 years until 2011 and may be extended by Schering-Plough after each single year.

Under the agreement, Schering-Plough will continue to have access to MorphoSys's proprietary antibody library HuCAL GOLD and will have the option to develop and commercialise HuCAL-derived therapeutic antibodies. In this case MorphoSys would receive licence fees, milestone payments, and royalties. Under the extended agreement MorphoSys will continue to receive annual user fees for access to its HuCAL but no further financial details were not disclosed.

“[The] news is yet another clear signal that our HuCAL technology will continue to form the basis of antibody-based drug development programmess at a number of leading pharmaceutical companies,” said Simon Moroney, MorphoSys CEO.