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Tuesday, March 2, 2021

MorphoSys Licensing Partner GSK Shared Prelim Otilimab Study Results in Pulmonary COVID Related Disease

 MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment; MDAX & TecDAX; NASDAQ: MOR), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical

company and a leader in antibody, protein and peptide technologies, announced today that its licensing partner 
GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE/NYSE: GSK) reported preliminary results of the OSCAR (Otilimab?in Severe COVID-19 Related 
Disease) study using otilimab (formerly MOR103/GSK3196165) for the treatment of severe pulmonary COVID-19 related 
disease. Given these data suggest an important clinical benefit in a pre-defined sub-group of high-risk patients and 
the urgent public health need, GSK has amended the OSCAR study to expand this cohort to confirm these potentially 
significant findings. 
This event of the first patient dosed in the expanded study triggers milestone payments of a total of EUR16 million to 
MorphoSys. 
Otilimab is an investigational human monoclonal antibody directed against GM-CSF (granulocyte-macrophage 
colony-stimulating factor) that was generated by MorphoSys and outlicensed to GSK in 2013. GSK is also developing 
otilimab for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in the ongoing Phase 3 ContRAst trials. 
"The preliminary study results with otilimab are encouraging news for patients 70 and older with severe COVID-19 
related pulmonary disease," said Dr. Malte Peters, Chief Research and Development Officer of MorphoSys AG. "We are 
pleased that our licensing partner GSK is expanding the study in order to further explore otilimab as a potential 
treatment option for this group of older adults suffering from severe forms of COVID-19." 
About the OSCAR study 
This global, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-centre, proof-of-concept phase 2a OSCAR study 
(NCT04376684) assessed the efficacy and safety of a single intravenous infusion of otilimab 90 mg given over an hour or 
placebo in addition to standard of care in 806 hospitalised adults (ages 18 to 79 years) with severe COVID-19 related 
pulmonary disease. Standard of care permitted the use of corticosteroids (including dexamethasone), remdesivir, and 
convalescent plasma according to local hospital/institutional policies. Study participants were enrolled at 130 sites 
around the world, including in the United States, Europe, Asia, Russia, South Africa and South America. All 
participants had a positive SARS-CoV-2 test result; been hospitalised due to a diagnosis of pneumonia; had new onset of 
oxygenation impairment requiring high-flow oxygen, non-invasive ventilation or mechanical ventilation <48 hours before 
dosing; and had increased biological markers of systemic inflammation. 
Participants were considered 'alive and free of respiratory failure' if they were off significant oxygen support 
measured using a GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) modified version ordinal scale adapted from World Health Organization (WHO) 
scale 2020. A full analysis is ongoing and will be made available in an upcoming pre-print publication when available. 

https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/MORPHOSYS-AG-436425/news/PRESS-RELEASE-MorphoSys-s-Licensing-Partner-GSK-Shared-Preliminary-Results-From-OSCAR-Study-with-Ot-32586349/



 

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