MorphoSys Strengthens European Patent Position on Anti-CD19 Cancer Program MOR208
Complete the form below to unlock access to ALL audio articles.
MorphoSys AG has announced that the European Patent Office has granted a patent covering the Company's cancer compound MOR208.
The new patent (EP2383297) covers the antibody's protein and nucleic acid sequences as well as pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same.
The new patent has a scheduled expiry date in 2027, not including any potential patent office or regulatory extensions, and is licensed to MorphoSys AG from Xencor, Inc.
Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG, commented: "MOR208 will be a key focus area for our development activities in the years to come and thus patent protection in the most relevant markets is of significant importance. Today's patent complements a new US patent covering the MOR208 antibody, which we announced a few weeks ago."
MOR208 is a humanized monoclonal antibody that targets the antigen CD19 for treatment of B cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases.
The antibody has been engineered to possess significantly enhanced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), thus improving a key mechanism for tumor cell killing and offering potential for enhanced efficacy compared to traditional antibodies for the treatment of cancer.
MOR208 has shown encouraging signs of preliminary anti-tumor activity and an acceptable safety and tolerability profile in a Phase 1/2a trial in patients with high-risk, heavily pretreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL).
The study results showed an overall response rate of 29.6% (according to IWCLL 2008 criteria) based on the safety population of the trial (n=27).
MorphoSys is conducting Phase 2 clinical trials of MOR208 in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL).
