MorphoSys AG products

Tafasitamab (MOR208) is a humanized FC-modified CD19 targeting immunotherapy in clinical development for the treatment of B cell malignancies. CD19 is broadly expressed on the surface of B cells. It is therefore considered as a potential target for the treatment of B cell malignancies, such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), including diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), indolent lymphomas like follicular lymphoma (FL) and marginal zone lymphomas (MZL), as well as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The main development focus of tafasitamab (MOR208) is on the treatment of patients with DLBCL. In January 2020, MorphoSys and Incyte entered into a collaboration and licensing agreement to further develop and commercialize tafasitamab globally.

Tulmimetostat is a second-generation EZH2 inhibitor that has been designed to achieve comprehensive target coverage through extended on-target residence time. EZH2 acts as an epigenetic writer and normally places one or more methyl groups on a histone protein, leading to the suppression of gene expression. Some cancers depend on an abnormal pattern of gene expression and re-direct EZH2 to genes that become abnormally repressed. Cancer cells with these abnormal gene expression programs may be more resistant to anti-cancer therapies.

Pelabresib (CPI-0610) is an investigational selective small-molecule designed to promote anti-tumor activity by inhibiting the function of bromodomain and extra-terminal domain (BET) proteins to decrease the expression of abnormally expressed genes in cancer. The compound has demonstrated a wide therapeutic window, with activity seen at a 48 mg dose in a lymphoma study and with a maximum tolerated dose of 225 mg. Constellation Pharmaceuticals, a MorphoSys company, is using a starting dose of 125 mg in MANIFEST, our global, multicenter, open-label Phase 2 study of pelabresib in patients with Myelofibrosis (MF). Preclinical studies and translational insights from our first-in-human study of pelabresib led us to prioritize the clinical development of pelabresib in MF.

Endogenous overstimulation of the so-called detrimental arm of the Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) plays an important role in the initiation and progression of cardiovascular, renal and other diseases. In contrast, stimulation of so-called protective RAS, especially AT2- or Mas receptors, may counterbalance the detrimental effects and offers a novel strategy for treatment of diseases with high unmet medical need. Lanthio Pharma has discovered lanthionine-constrained agonists of the protective RAS receptors, subject of three development programs.

Felzartamab is a therapeutic human monoclonal antibody derived from MorphoSys’ HuCAL antibody library and directed against CD38. Felzartamab is an investigational drug that has not yet been approved by any regulatory authorities. The safety and efficacy of felzartamab are currently evaluated in patients with glomerulonephritis including anti-PLA2R antibody-positive membranous nephropathy (MN) and IgA nephropathy (IgAN), both autoimmune renal diseases. In the future, felzartamab might potentially be evaluated as targeting therapy in additional autoimmune mediated diseases.

Apelins are the endogenous peptide ligands for the APJ receptor. Lanthio Pharma has discovered highly active and stable lanthi-apelins that differentially stimulate APJ-receptor–coupled intracellular pathways (biased agonism).

Natural galanin acts via three different receptor subtypes, GalR1, GalR2 and GalR3. Lanthio Pharma has discovered lanthi-galanins with enhanced subtype receptor specificities.

Peptides are an increasingly important class of drug. As natural ligands to many targets, they can combine agonistic or antagonistic activity with low toxicity risk and can be applied to disease targets, where small molecules or antibody-based drugs cannot be used. However, the number of therapeutic peptide drugs is held back by properties that are inherent to wild-type peptides. Namely, that they can often bind to multiple receptor subtypes and that the time they remain active in the body is usually very short. Lanthio Pharma’s innovative lanthipeptides overcome these problems and make it possible to discover highly target selective peptides, which only bind and activate one specific target subtype. Importantly, lanthipeptides are more stable than linear wild-type peptides and therefore have much better “drug-like” properties.