MorphoSys AG has announced that its partner Roche plans to initiate a new pivotal phase 3 programme for gantenerumab in patients with prodromal to mild Alzheimer’s disease. Gantenerumab is a monoclonal antibody directed against beta amyloid generated by MorphoSys using its proprietary HuCAL antibody technology.

MorphoSys was informed that Roche intends to commence preparations for two studies and would expect to start the program later this year. Further information including details of the trials are not yet available.

“This is great news for MorphoSys. We are delighted by the strong commitment to gantenerumab as a potential new therapy for Alzheimer’s disease”, commented Dr. Marlies Sproll, Chief Scientific Officer of MorphoSys AG. “The HuCAL-derived antibody gantenerumab has properties that we believe make it a promising candidate to treat Alzheimer’s disease, and we look forward to learning more about these new phase 3 trials”.

MorphoSys developed HuCAL, the most successful antibody library technology in the pharmaceutical industry. By successfully applying this and other patented technologies, MorphoSys has become a leader in the field of therapeutic antibodies, one of the fastest-growing drug classes in human healthcare.

Together with its pharmaceutical partners, MorphoSys has built a therapeutic pipeline of more than 100 human antibody drug candidates for the treatment of cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, and Alzheimer’s disease, to name just a few. With its ongoing commitment to new antibody technology and drug development, MorphoSys is focused on making the healthcare products of tomorrow. MorphoSys is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol MOR.