MorphoSys AG announced that its licensee Janssen-Cilag International NV (Janssen), has reported that the European Commission has granted approval of Tremfya (guselkumab) in the European Union for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy. In July 2017, the drug received US FDA approval for the treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.

Tremfya (guselkumab) is a fully human anti-IL-23 monoclonal antibody developed by Janssen and was generated utilizing MorphoSys’s proprietary HuCAL antibody library technology.

MorphoSys is eligible to receive royalties on net sales of Tremfya.

Dr. Simon Moroney, chief executive officer of MorphoSys AG, said: “We are very pleased that Janssen has now received market authorization for Tremfya in Europe after US approval was granted in July of this year. We expect this drug will provide an important treatment option for patients living with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.”

“Guselkumab is the first antibody that has received approval in Europe based on MorphoSys’s technologies. With more than 100 MorphoSys compounds currently in development, we look forward to advancing novel antibodies in a wide variety of serious diseases where we see a strong need for alternative treatment options“, added Dr. Markus Enzelberger, chief scientific officer of MorphoSys.

Beyond plaque psoriasis, Janssen is studying Tremfya (guselkumab) in a phase 3 psoriatic arthritis development programme.

MorphoSys is committed to developing exceptional new treatments for patients suffering from serious diseases. A leader in the field of therapeutic antibodies today, MorphoSys is driven by the ambition of creating the most valuable pipeline of biopharmaceuticals in the biotechnology industry.