German companies MorphoSys and Boehringer Ingelheim have extended a February 2003 agreement focused on developing therapeutic antibodies using the former’s HuCAL Gold antibody technology system [[27/02/03g]]. Under the new contract, BI has an option to receive several exclusive licenses on new therapeutic antibody programmes. The two companies presently have two therapeutic antibody programmes in joint collaboration.

Additionally, BI will obtain access to MorphoSys’ HuCAL Gold library for research purposes at a number of the firm’s research facilities. The first installation site is intended to be Boehringer Ingelheim’s site in Vienna, Austria. MorphoSys will receive an undisclosed technology access fee, annual license fees and optional R&D funding over the five-year collaboration term. The company will also receive milestone fees and royalties for therapeutic antibodies emerging from the collaboration.

“The extended collaboration with MorphoSys will strengthen our capability to generate innovative human monoclonal antibodies and to discover new therapeutic entities,” said Mikael Dolsten, head of corporate research at BI. “We are very pleased to continue this collaboration with the aim of providing novel future biological treatment options for patients suffering from cancer, immune, inflammatory and other severe human diseases.”