MorphoSys AG, a biotechnology company focused on the research and development of fully human antibodies, has received a milestone payment from Novartis to start a phase 1 clinical trial of a HuCAL antibody in the field of blood disorders.


This becomes the eleventh therapeutic antibody made using MorphoSys's technologies that Novartis is evaluating in clinical trials. The associated milestone payment was booked in Q2 2015.

"With eleven therapeutic antibody programmes in clinical development to date, our alliance with Novartis has resulted in a substantial drug candidate portfolio," commented Dr. Marlies Sproll, chief scientific officer of MorphoSys AG. "Today's news represents the second clinical milestone with our partners during the course of this year."

MorphoSys's collaboration with Novartis has resulted in eleven clinical programmes to date, six of which are in phase 1 development, with another four programs in phase 2 and one in phase 3. In total, MorphoSys's proprietary and partnered clinical pipeline currently comprises 24 unique antibody molecules, which are being evaluated in more than 50 clinical trials.