Incyte and MorphoSys Announce Acceptance by Health Canada of the New Drug Submission for Tafasitamab

MONTREAL and PLANEGG/MUNICH, Germany, Jan. 12, 2021 /CNW/ - Incyte (NASDAQ: INCY) and MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment; MDAX & TecDAX; NASDAQ: MOR) today announced that Health Canada has accepted the New Drug Submission (NDS) for tafasitamab, an anti-CD19 antibody. The application seeks approval of 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 eligible for, or refuse, autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT).

"With the acceptance of the NDS by Health Canada, review of the data can begin, an important step on the path to making tafasitamab available in Canada for use in combination with lenalidomide in eligible patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL," said Josée Brisebois, Ph.D., Head of Medical Affairs, Incyte Biosciences Canada. "We intend to work closely with Health Canada as we seek to bring this innovative targeted therapeutic option to the clinical community and to appropriate patients for whom few treatment options exist."

"This important milestone moves tafasitamab in combination with lenalidomide into the regulatory review process in Canada, with the potential to significantly advance patient care in the treatment of relapsed or refractory DLBCL," said Nuwan Kurukulasuriya, Ph.D., Senior Vice President Global Medical Affairs, MorphoSys.

The NDS, submitted by Incyte, is based on data from the L-MIND study evaluating tafasitamab in combination with lenalidomide as a treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL not eligible for autologous stem cell transplant, and is supported by the RE-MIND study, an observational retrospective study in relapsed or refractory DLBCL. 

Incyte has exclusive commercialization rights for tafasitamab outside of the United States and, if approved, Incyte will hold the marketing authorization for tafasitamab in Canada. This NDS marks the second marketing application that Incyte Biosciences Canada has made to Health Canada since establishing operations in Canada in April 2020.

About Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL)
DLBCL is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in adults worldwide¹, characterized by rapidly growing masses of malignant B-cells in the lymph nodes, spleen, liver, bone marrow or other organs. It is an aggressive disease with about 40% of patients not responding to initial therapy or relapsing thereafter²,  leading to a high medical need for new, effective therapies³, especially for patients who are not eligible for an autologous stem cell transplant in this setting.

About L-MIND
The L-MIND trial is a single arm, open-label, multicentre Phase 2 study (NCT02399085) investigating the combination of tafasitamab and lenalidomide in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who have had at least one, but no more than three prior lines of therapy, including an anti-CD20 targeting therapy (e.g. rituximab), who are not eligible for high-dose chemotherapy or refuse subsequent autologous stem cell transplant The study's primary endpoint is Overall Response Rate (ORR). Secondary outcome measures include Duration of Response (DoR), Progression-Free Survival (PFS) and Overall Survival (OS). In May 2019, the study reached its primary completion.

For more information about L-MIND, visit https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02399085

About RE-MIND
RE-MIND, an observational retrospective study (NCT04150328), was designed to isolate the contribution of tafasitamab in combination with lenalidomide and to prove the combinatorial effect. The study compares real-world response data of patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) who received lenalidomide monotherapy with the efficacy outcomes of the tafasitamab-lenalidomide combination, as investigated in MorphoSys' L-MIND trial. RE-MIND collected the efficacy data from 490 relapsed or refractory DLBCL patients in the U.S. and EU. Qualification criteria for matching patients of both studies were pre-specified. As a result, 76 eligible RE-MIND patients were identified and matched 1:1 to 76 of 80 L-MIND patients based on important baseline characteristics. Objective Response Rates (ORR) were validated based on this subset of 76 patients in RE-MIND and L-MIND, respectively. The primary endpoint of RE-MIND was met and shows a statistically significant superior best ORR of the tafasitamab-lenalidomide combination compared to lenalidomide monotherapy.

For more information about RE-MIND, visit https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04150328.

About Tafasitamab
Tafasitamab 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).

In January 2020, MorphoSys and Incyte entered into a collaboration and licensing agreement to further develop and commercialize tafasitamab globally. Following approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in July 2020, tafasitamab is being co-commercialized by MorphoSys and Incyte in the United States. Incyte has exclusive commercialization rights outside the United States.

Tafasitamab is being clinically investigated as a therapeutic option in B-cell malignancies in a number of ongoing combination trials.

XmAb^® is a registered trademark of Xencor, Inc.

The safety and efficacy of tafasitamab is under review and the market authorization in Canada has not yet been obtained.

About Incyte
Incyte is a Wilmington, Delaware-based, global biopharmaceutical company focused on finding solutions for serious unmet medical needs through the discovery, development and commercialization of proprietary therapeutics. For additional information on Incyte, please visit Incyte.com and follow @Incyte.

About MorphoSys
MorphoSys (FSE & NASDAQ: MOR) 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 27 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 MorphoSys' 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. More information at www.morphosys.com or www.morphosys-us.com.

Monjuvi^® is a registered trademark of MorphoSys AG.

Tremfya^® is a registered trademark of Janssen Biotech, Inc.

Incyte Forward-looking Statements
Except for the historical information set forth herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including statements regarding whether or when tafasitamab might be approved in Canada for the treatment of, and whether or when tafasitamab might provide a successful treatment option for, in combination with lenalidomide, certain patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and the L-MIND and RE-MIND clinical trial programs. These forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current expectations and subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially, including unanticipated developments in and risks related to: unanticipated delays; further research and development and the results of clinical trials possibly being unsuccessful or insufficient to meet applicable regulatory standards or warrant continued development; the ability to enroll sufficient numbers of subjects in clinical trials; determinations made by Canadian regulatory authorities or other regulatory authorities, including the U.S. FDA; the Company's dependence on its relationships with its collaboration partners; the efficacy or safety of the Company's products and the products of the Company's collaboration partners; the acceptance of the Company's products and the products of the Company's collaboration partners in the marketplace; market competition; sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution requirements; greater than expected expenses; expenses relating to litigation or strategic activities; and other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Form 10-Q for the quarter ending September 30, 2020. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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-cxix, including ongoing confirmatory trials, additional interactions with regulatory authorities and expectations regarding future regulatory filings and possible additional approvals for tafasitamab-cxix 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-cxix 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.

SOURCE Incyte Biosciences Canada