On April 27, 2020 MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, MDAX & TecDAX; NASDAQ: MOR) and I-Mab (NASDAQ: IMAB) reported that the first patient has been dosed in a phase 3 clinical study in mainland China to evaluate MorphoSys’ investigational human CD38 antibody MOR202/TJ202 in combination with lenalidomide plus dexamethasone in patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma (r/r MM) (Press release, MorphoSys, APR 27, 2020, View Source [SID1234556631]). Under a licensing agreement with MorphoSys, I-Mab, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company committed to discovery, development and commercialization of novel or highly differentiated biologics to treat diseases with significant unmet medical needs, has exclusive rights for development and commercialization of MOR202/TJ202 in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.
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The clinical trial (NCT03952091) in mainland China is a randomized, open-label, parallel-controlled, multi-center study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination of MOR202/TJ202, lenalidomide and dexamethasone versus the combination of lenalidomide and dexamethasone in patients with r/r MM who received at least one prior line of treatment. This multi-center study has already started at sites in Taiwan in April 2019 and now officially started in mainland China as part of the coordinated effort to accelerate the study.
"MOR202/TJ202 is a front-runner candidate that adequately demonstrates our fast-to-market development strategy, representing a highly differentiated clinical development approach to provide new treatment options for unmet medical needs," said Dr. Joan Shen, CEO of I-Mab. "The phase 3 study is the second registrational trial of MOR202/TJ202 as a potential second line treatment option for patients with multiple myeloma in Greater China."
"We are delighted that our partner I-Mab has dosed the first patient in the ongoing phase 3 study for MOR202/TJ202 in mainland China, which marks an important step in the development of this compound," commented Dr. Malte Peters, Chief Research & Development Officer of MorphoSys. "There is a high need for the treatment of patients with r/r multiple myeloma in the Greater China area and we look forward to the further development of MOR202/TJ202 by our partner I-Mab in this indication."
In addition to the phase 3 trial, I-Mab is conducting a pivotal phase 2 study (NCT03860038) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MOR202/TJ202 in combination with dexamethasone in subjects with r/r MM who received at least 2 prior lines of treatment.
About MOR202/TJ202
MOR202/TJ202 is an investigational human monoclonal antibody derived from MorphoSys’s HuCAL antibody technology. The antibody is directed against CD38 on the surface of multiple myeloma cells, which has been characterized as one of the most strongly and uniformly expressed antigens on the surface of malignant plasma cells. According to its suggested mode of action, the antibody recruits cells of the body’s immune system to kill the tumor through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP). The antibody does not involve complement dependent cytotoxicity, or CDC, an additional immune mechanism involved in tumor cell killing. Scientific research suggests that an anti-CD38 antibody may have therapeutic potential also in other cancers as well as autoimmune diseases. Based on a licensing agreement between MorphoSys and I-Mab signed in November 2017, I-Mab owns the exclusive rights for development and commercialization of MOR202/TJ202 in mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao.