MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment; MDAX & TecDAX; NASDAQ: MOR) reports results for the year ended December 31, 2020 and provides a financial and operational outlook for 2021.
Financial Highlights for Full Year 2020
The Company achieved revenues of EUR 327.7 million (2019: EUR 71.8 million) and EBIT of EUR 27.4 million (2019: EUR -107.9 million).
Monjuvi (tafasitamab-cxix) product sales totaling EUR 18.5 million (US$ 22 million) since launch in the U.S. in August 2020.
Royalties on net sales of Tremfya amounted to EUR 42.5 million (2019: EUR 31.8 million).
Liquidity position of EUR 1,244.0 million[1] at year-end 2020 (2019: EUR 357.4 million).
Corporate and Program Updates
Monjuvi (tafasitamab-cxix): Revenues from Monjuvi product sales of EUR 14.1 million (US$ 17 million) for Q4.
>400 accounts have ordered Monjuvi by end of 2020.
Share of Voice consistently reaching approximately 50%.
Tafasitamab: Preliminary data from the firstMIND study in previously untreated DLBCL patients were presented at the 62nd American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting (ASH) in December 2020; data support the start of the pivotal study in the first half of 2021.
Long-term data of the L-MIND study in patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL, who are not eligible for autologous stem cell transplantation, after a follow-up of two years confirming previously reported results. Tafasitamab in combination with lenalidomide resulted in long-lasting remissions. At the time of analysis, patients continued to experience long median duration of response (mDoR) of 34.6 months and median overall survival (mOS) of 31.6 months.
Clinical collaboration between MorphoSys, Incyte and Xencor to investigate the combination of tafasitamab, lenalidomide and plamotamab in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), first-line DLBCL, and relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma (FL) in November 2020.
The European Marketing Authorization Application (MAA), seeking approval of tafasitamab in combination with lenalidomide, followed by tafasitamab monotherapy, for the treatment of adult patients with r/r DLBCL was validated in May 2020 and is currently under review.
Felzartamab (MOR202)
M-PLACE study in autoimmune membranous nephropathy ongoing: safety run-in phase completed and the full enrollment phase opened.
Tremfya (guselkumab)
The European Commission approved in December 2020 the use of Tremfya in the treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who have had an inadequate response or who have been intolerant to a prior disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapy.
Corporate Developments
MorphoSys successfully placed unsubordinated, unsecured convertible bonds due 2025 in an aggregate principal amount of EUR 325 million in October 2020. The bonds will be convertible into new and/or existing no-par value ordinary bearer shares of MorphoSys.
MorphoSys and Cherry Biolabs entered into a licensing agreement in November 2020 granting MorphoSys the rights to apply Cherry Biolabs' innovative, multispecific Hemibody technology to six exclusive targets.
Signifcant Events After The Reporting Year
On January 5, 2021, MorphoSys and Incyte announced that the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic) had accepted the marketing authorization application (MAA) for tafasitamab. The MAA seeks approval for tafasitamab, in combination with lenalidomide, followed by tafasitamab monotherapy, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), including DLBCL arising from low grade lymphoma, who are not candidates for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). The MAA will now enter the formal review process by Swissmedic.
On January 6, 2021, MorphoSys announced the appointment of Sung Lee as Chief Financial Officer, effective February 2, 2021. Mr. Lee succeeds Jens Holstein, who stepped down in December 2020, and will lead all corporate finance functions as a member of the Management Board of MorphoSys AG. He will be based in Planegg, Germany.
On January 12, 2021, MorphoSys and Incyte announced that the Health Canada had accepted the New Drug Submission (NDS) for tafasitamab. The application seeks approval of tafasitamab in combination with lenalidomide, followed by tafasitamab monotherapy, for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL, including DLBCL arising from low grade lymphoma, who are not eligible for, or refuse, ASCT.
On January 25, 2021, MorphoSys and I-Mab announced that the first patient had been dosed in a phase 1 dose escalation study to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of MOR210/TJ210 monotherapy in patients with relapsed or refractory advanced solid tumors in the United States.
In February 2021, the first patient with autoimmune membranous nephropathy was dosed with felzartamab in the New-PLACE study, a phase 2 study evaluating different treatment schedules to identify the regimen for the pivotal study.
On March 2, 2021, we announced that our partner GSK reported preliminary results of the OSCAR study using otilimab 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. The dosing of the first patient in the expanded study triggered milestone payments of EUR 16 million to MorphoSys.
'2020 was a transformational year for MorphoSys. Despite the challenges brought on by the global pandemic, we delivered one of the most successful years as a company. The accelerated FDA approval of Monjuvi was an important milestone in our transformation into an integrated commercial-stage biopharma company,' said Jean-Paul Kress, M.D., Chief Executive Officer of MorphoSys. 'We believe tafasitamab has the potential to transform the standard of care and could be a potential backbone in DLBCL, along with being a combination partner of choice in other hematological malignancies. Beyond tafasitamab, we were also able to progress felzartamab, which is being developed in autoimmune membranous nephropathy, an autoimmune disease affecting the kidney. In 2021, the focus will be on executing on our ambitious goals: continuing to drive the launch of Monjuvi and provide access to patients with DLBCL, advance tafasitamab in potential first line setting and other non-Hodgkin's lymphoma indications, further develop felzartamab, and expand our pipeline. With our strong balance sheet and a liquidity position of more than EUR 1.2 billion, we are well positioned to execute on our growth strategy.'
About Monjuvi (tafasitamab-cxix)
Monjuvi is a humanized Fc-modified cytolytic CD19 targeting monoclonal antibody. In 2010, MorphoSys licensed exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize tafasitamab from Xencor, Inc. Tafasitamab incorporates an XmAb engineered Fc domain, which mediates B-cell lysis through apoptosis and immune effector mechanism including antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP).
Monjuvi is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in combination with lenalidomide for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) not otherwise specified, including DLBCL arising from low grade lymphoma, and who are not eligible for autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT).
In January 2020, MorphoSys and Incyte entered into a collaboration and licensing agreement to further develop and commercialize Monjuvi globally. Monjuvi will be co-commercialized by Incyte and MorphoSys in the United States. Incyte has exclusive commercialization rights outside the United States.
A marketing authorization application (MAA) seeking the approval of tafasitamab in combination with lenalidomide in the EU has been validated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and is currently under review for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL, including DLBCL arising from low grade lymphoma, who are not candidates for ASCT.
About MorphoSys
MorphoSys is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies for patients suffering from cancer and autoimmune diseases. Based on its leading expertise in antibody, protein and peptide technologies, MorphoSys, together with its partners, has developed and contributed to the development of more than 100 product candidates, of which more than 25 are currently in clinical development. In 2017, Tremfya, developed by Janssen Research & Development, LLC and marketed by Janssen Biotech, Inc., for the treatment of plaque psoriasis, became the first drug based on MorphoSys' antibody technology to receive regulatory approval. In July 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval of the company's proprietary product Monjuvi (tafasitamab-cxix) in combination with lenalidomide in patients with a certain type of lymphoma.
Headquartered near Munich, Germany, the MorphoSys group, including the fully owned U.S. subsidiary MorphoSys US Inc., has more than 600 employees.
MorphoSys Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains certain forward-looking statements concerning the MorphoSys group of companies, including the expectations regarding Monjuvi's ability to treat patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, the further clinical development of tafasitamab, including ongoing confirmatory trials, additional interactions with regulatory authorities and expectations regarding future regulatory filings and possible additional approvals for tafasitamab as well as the commercial performance of Monjuvi. The words 'anticipate,' 'believe,' 'estimate,' 'expect,' 'intend,' 'may,' 'plan,' 'predict,' 'project,' 'would,' 'could,' 'potential,' 'possible,' 'hope' and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgment of MorphoSys as of the date of this release and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which might cause the actual results, financial condition and liquidity, performance or achievements of MorphoSys, or industry results, to be materially different from any historic or future results, financial conditions and liquidity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. In addition, even if MorphoSys' results, performance, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which it operates are consistent with such forward-looking statements, they may not be predictive of results or developments in future periods. Among the factors that may result in differences are MorphoSys' expectations regarding risks and uncertainties related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to MorphoSys' business, operations, strategy, goals and anticipated milestones, including its ongoing and planned research activities, ability to conduct ongoing and planned clinical trials, clinical supply of current or future drug candidates, commercial supply of current or future approved products, and launching, marketing and selling current or future approved products, the global collaboration and license agreement for tafasitamab, the further clinical development of tafasitamab, including ongoing confirmatory trials, and MorphoSys' ability to obtain and maintain requisite regulatory approvals and to enroll patients in its planned clinical trials, additional interactions with regulatory authorities and expectations regarding future regulatory filings and possible additional approvals for tafasitamab as well as the commercial performance of Monjuvi, MorphoSys' reliance on collaborations with third parties, estimating the commercial potential of its development programs and other risks indicated in the risk factors included in MorphoSys' Annual Report on Form 20-F and other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Given these uncertainties, the reader is advised not to place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of publication of this document. MorphoSys expressly disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in this document to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements, unless specifically required by law or regulation.
Contact:
Thomas Biegi
Tel: +49 (0)89 89927 26079
Email: thomas.biegi@morphosys.com
MORPHOSYS AG 
