Corporate | 13 January 2004 07:45

MorphoSys to Cross-License Technologies with Bayer

Corporate-news announcement sent by DGAP. The sender is solely responsible for the contents of this announcement. ——————————————————————————– MorphoSys to Cross-License Technologies with Bayer MorphoSys AG (Frankfurt: MOR; Prime Standard Segment) today announced an agreement with Bayer HealthCare for the cross-licensing of certain technologies. Under the agreement, MorphoSys will receive the human cell line HKB 11 for production of HuCAL antibodies. MorphoSys will also receive the right to use the cell line for its own research and an option for the commercial production of antibodies using the HKB 11 cell line. In exchange, Bayer will switch its in- house R&D programs to the MorphoSys HuCAL GOLD antibody technology. Additionally, MorphoSys will receive an installation fee from Bayer HealthCare. The announcement builds on the existing agreement between the two companies, entered into in December 1999. In July 2001, the collaboration was extended to run through the end of 2005. The collaboration focuses on the use of human antibodies for application in the areas of therapy, diagnostics and target research. In the context of the agreement, MorphoSys receives annual license payments and can receive development-related milestone payments and royalties for marketed products. “We are delighted to be expanding our collaboration with Bayer”, commented Dr. Simon Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys AG. “This expansion further enhances our capabilities for the development of therapeutic antibodies and is an important component for our partnering strategy.” About MorphoSys: MorphoSys develops and applies innovative technologies for the production of synthetic antibodies, which accelerate drug discovery and target characterization. Founded in 1992, the Company’s proprietary Human Combinatorial Antibody Library (HuCALâ) technology is used by researchers worldwide for human antibody generation. The Company currently has licensing and research collaborations with Bayer (Berkeley, California/USA), Biogen Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts/USA), Boehringer Ingelheim (Ingelheim, Germany), Bristol-Myers Squibb (Wilmington, Delaware/USA), Centocor Inc. (Malvern, Pennsylvania/USA), California/USA), GPC Biotech AG (Munich/Germany), Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Basel/Switzerland), ImmunoGen Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts/USA), Oridis Biomed GmbH (Graz/Austria), Pfizer Inc. (Delaware/USA), ProChon Biotech Ltd. (Rehovot/Israel), Schering AG (Berlin/Germany) and Xoma Ltd. (Berkeley, California/USA). For further information please visit the corporate website at: http://www.morphosys.com/. Statements included in this press release which are not historical in nature are intended to be, and are hereby identified as, “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the safe harbour provided by Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words including “anticipates”, “believes”, “intends”, “estimates”, “expects” and similar expressions. The company cautions readers that forward-looking statements, including without limitation those relating to the company’s future operations and business prospects, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may affect future operations and business prospects include, but are not limited to, clinical and scientific results and developments concerning corporate collaborations and the company’s proprietary rights and other factors described in the prospectus relating to the company’s recent public offering. For more information, please contact MorphoSys: Dr. Claudia Gutjahr-Löser, Manager Corporate Communications, Tel. +49 (0)89 89927 122, gutjahr@morphosys.com end of message, (c)DGAP 13.01.2004 ——————————————————————————– WKN: 663200; ISIN: DE0006632003; Index: Nemax 50 Listed: Geregelter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr in Berlin- Bremen, Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Hannover, München und Stuttgart 130745 Jän 04