MorphoSys gains on first RA efficacy data for MOR103

MorphoSys AG (Xetra:MOR; Pink:MPSYF) jumped EUR 2.92 (15%) to EUR 22.30 on Friday after reporting response data late Thursday from a Phase Ib/IIa trial evaluating four weekly doses of IV MOR103 to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Mid-dose MOR103 met the secondary endpoint of ACR20 response rate at week four vs. placebo (68% vs. 7%, p<0.0001). ACR20 response rates were 25% in the low-dose MOR103 arm and 30% in the high-dose arm. MOR103 also met the primary safety endpoint in the trial -- the product was well tolerated with no serious adverse events reported. The double-blind, European trial enrolled 96 patients with mild to moderate RA to receive placebo or 0.3, 1 or 1.5 mg/kg IV MOR103. The majority of patients were on a stable regimen of DMARDs. MOR103 is a human HuCAL antibody against GM-CSF. ...