MorphoSys AG has signed an initial two-year license agreement with Schering-Plough Corporation for the use of MorphoSys's HuCAL Gold technology in the research and development of human therapeutic antibodies.

Under the terms of the agreement, MorphoSys grants access to its proprietary antibody library to Schering-Plough for use in its drug discovery programs at one research site. Furthermore, the contract provides Schering-Plough with the option to develop HuCAL-derived therapeutic antibodies against up to 10 disease-related targets, a MorphoSys release said.

According to the agreement, MorphoSys will receive an up-front payment, annual user fees and optional R&D funding. For therapeutic antibody projects undertaken by Schering-Plough, MorphoSys is eligible to receive license and milestone payments related to the successful advancement of projects in clinical development, and royalties on HuCAL antibodies developed under the agreement. Further financial details were not disclosed.

"This agreement is our twelfth with a top 20 pharmaceutical company", commented Dr. Simon Moroney, CEO of MorphoSys. "This deal marks further progress in the successful execution of our strategy to strengthen the pipeline of therapeutic antibodies based on our proprietary technology through strategic deals with quality partners," he added.

MorphoSys has licensing agreements and/or research collaborations with Bayer (Berkeley, California/USA), Boehringer Ingelheim (Ingelheim, Germany), Bristol-Myers Squibb (New Jersey/USA), Centocor Inc. (Malvern, Pennsylvania/USA), Daiichi Sankyo & Co., Ltd. (Tokyo/Japan), GPC Biotech AG (Munich/Germany), Hoffmann-La Roche AG (Basel/Switzerland), ImmunoGen Inc. (Cambridge, Massachusetts/USA), Merck & Co., Inc. (Whitehouse Station, New Jersey/USA), Novartis AG (Basel, Switzerland), Novoplant GmbH (Gatersleben, Germany), Pfizer Inc. (Delaware/USA), ProChon Biotech Ltd. (Rehovot/Israel), Schering AG (Berlin/Germany), Shionogi & Co., Ltd. (Osaka/Japan), Xoma Ltd. (Berkeley, California/USA) and others.