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MARTINSRIED, Germany (Thomson Financial) - MorphoSys AG said it won regulatory approval in the Netherlands to start testing its experimental rheumatoid arthritis treatment MOR103 on humans as part of the company's most advanced wholly-owned drug development project.
The German biotech company also said in a statement that it received a manufacturing license from the German state of Bavaria, allowing it to commission the production of MOR103 that it needs for the Dutch drug trials.
MOR103 consists of genetically engineered antibodies that help the human body suppress a protein that has been linked to inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
MorphoSys owns a repository of about 15 bln antibodies that drug makers including Pfizer Inc and Novartis AG use as research tools or as the basis of new treatments. ludwig.burger@thomson.com lb/mas/cw/lb/mas/ajb COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Financial News Limited 2007. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Thomson Financial News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Financial News.
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