[November 26, 2008]

Galapagos, MorphoSys Partner to Tackle Bone/Joint Diseases

(BioWorld Today Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Galapagos NV and MorphoSys AG teamed up to discover and develop antibodies to treat rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and other bone and joint diseases.

The companies will share all costs and revenues equally, with Galapagos using its adenoviral discovery platform to provide targets, and MorphoSys using its HuCal Gold platform to generate fully human antibodies against those targets.

During a conference call with investors, Galapagos CEO Onno van de Stolpe called the partnership a "win-win situation."

For its part, Mechelen, Belgium-based Galapagos has proved it can deliver novel targets in the bone and joint field. The company has more than 30 bone and joint programs, many of which were discovered using its adenovirus approach to introduce human gene sequences into a variety of human cells, knocking down specific proteins and then evaluating the outcome in disease-specific assays.

Galapagos boasts partnerships with GlaxoSmithKline plc for osteoarthritis drugs, with Johnson & Johnson unit Janssen Pharmaceutica NV for rheumatoid arthritis drugs and with Eli Lilly and Co. for osteoporosis drugs. (See BioWorld Today, June 8, 2006, Oct. 25, 2007, and Dec. 20, 2007.)

Simon Moroney, CEO of Martinsried, Germany-based MorphoSys, acknowledged that Galapagos brings "high-quality targets to the table."

But while Galapagos thus far has focused on targets for small-molecule drug development, MorphoSys contributes antibody expertise.

MorphoSys is known for its generation and optimization of fully human antibodies using its HuCAL technology (Human Combinatorial Antibody Library).

The HuCAL library contains more than 15 billion fully human antibodies constructed using a modular approach that allows for custom optimization.

Internally, MorphoSys is advancing an anti-GM-CSF antibody through Phase I for rheumatoid arthritis, but the company also has 55 partnerships with a variety of pharma and biotech companies.

Working together, Galapagos and MorphoSys plan to identify targets and advance antibodies through clinical proof-of-concept studies, at which point the compounds would be partnered externally for further development.

Galapagos already has identified three undisclosed targets in bone and joint disease that have been selected by the joint steering committee for development under the collaboration.

Galapagos is producing the proteins, and MorphoSys is expected to begin antibody development next year. The companies said the compounds could begin to enter the clinic in four to five years.

Van de Stolpe said the partnership one day might expand beyond bone and joint indications.

But for now, the bone and joint field is one in which both companies have expertise and see significant opportunity.

Antibodies for rheumatoid arthritis - including Remicade (infliximab, Centocor Inc.), Enbrel (etanercept, Amgen Inc.) and Rituxan (rituximab, Genentech Inc. and Biogen Idec Inc.), just to name a few - are blockbuster biotech drugs.

Van de Stolpe pointed to the excitement around Amgen's denosumab as evidence of the potential for antibodies in osteoporosis as well.

He added that he expects the antibodies developed by Galapagos and MorphoSys to be differentiated by their novel targets.

Shares of Galapagos, listed on the Brussels Stock Exchange under "GLPG," rose ?0.09 on Wednesday to close at ?3.52 (US$4.53). Shares of MorphoSys, listed on the Berlin Stock Exchange under "MOR," rose ?3.16 to close at ?46.66. n

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