Deal Announcement
goetzpartners advised Vivoryon Therapeutics AG on the option agreement and equity commitment for its lead compound to MorphoSys AG
VIVORYON THERAPEUTICS AG, the Germany-based clinical stage precision medicine company focused on novel therapies for age-related diseases, mandated goetzpartners as exclusive advisor on the option agreement of its small molecule inhibitors to MorphoSys AG, the clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of antibodies. MorphoSys obtained an exclusive and worldwide option to license VIVORYON's small molecule QPCTL inhibitors in the field of oncology, including its lead compound PQ912. In exchange, MorphoSys has committed to investing up to EUR 15,000,000 in a minority stake in VIVORYON THERAPEUTICS as part of a capital raise planned for later this year. If MorphoSys chooses to exercise the option, VIVORYON THERAPEUTICS will further receive an option fee and is eligible for milestone payments and royalties. "This deal gives us access to a unique set of drug candidates with exciting potential in cancer", said Dr. Simon Moroney, CEO of MorphoSys. "A number of studies suggests that the CD47-SIRP alpha interaction may be of central importance to the activity of some anti-cancer antibodies. In this regard, securing rights to VIVORYON's estate of compounds in oncology makes strong strategic sense for us. In particular, we are looking forward to exploring the potential for synergy with tafasitamab (MOR208), our most advanced drug candidate. If successful, the use of these orally formulated QPCTL inhibitors may open the way to combinations with other anti-cancer antibodies aiming at boosting their cell killing activity." "Our small molecule inhibitors represent a novel and innovative therapeutic approach to silence the critical CD47-SIRP alpha checkpoint signal in cancer immunotherapy," said Dr. Ulrich Dauer, CEO of VIVORYON THERAPEUTICS. "As a leading company for antibody and protein technologies with a strong oncology focus, MorphoSys is the ideal partner for us. For VIVORYON this is a strategic alliance to exploit the potential of our first-in-class, highly specific and potent small molecules in combination with therapeutic antibodies for a targeted range of cancer indications. While remaining strongly committed to our development plans in Alzheimer's disease, we are delivering on our strategy to extend the potential of our technology to immuno-oncology." goetzpartners acted as exclusive advisor to VIVORYON in this transaction which marks a further deal credential for goetzpartners’ healthcare practice in the dynamic immuno-oncology sector. ABOUT VIVORYON THERAPEUTICS AG VIVORYON THERAPEUTICS AG (Euronext Amsterdam: VVY) is a precision intervention company with an advanced candidate in clinical development focused on bringing first-in-class therapies to patients suffering from age-related diseases. The company has a successful track record in bringing drugs targeted to post-translational modifying enzymes to the market. ABOUT MORPHOSYS AG MorphoSys (FSE & NASDAQ: MOR) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies for patients suffering from serious 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 29 are currently in clinical development. TRANSACTION TEAM Ulrich Kinzel Fabio Riva Youchen Xin
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