Lanthio Pharma Expands Management Team

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Axel Mescheder M.D. Appointed Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of MorphoSys's Dutch Lanthipeptide Subsidiary

The Dutch biopharmaceutical company Lanthio Pharma B.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of MorphoSys AG (FSE: MOR; Prime Standard Segment, TecDAX; OTC: MPSYY), today announced the appointment of Axel Mescheder, M.D. as Chief Medical Officer (CMO).

Dr. Heinz Schwer, Chief Executive Officer of Lanthio Pharma, commented: "We are very pleased to welcome Axel Mescheder at Lanthio Pharma where he will take a key role in the Company's management. We got to know him as an excellent clinical physician and experienced R&D manager and we are sure that he will further strengthen and complement our management team. Axel's main focus will be the development of Lanthio Pharma's lanthipeptide portfolio, in particular the preparation and subsequent execution of the clinical development of MOR107."

Dr. Mescheder has more than 20 years of experience in R&D management positions in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. He has demonstrated the ability to successfully develop, implement and drive clinical development programs and has a track record of advancing a number of compounds through the various clinical phases that lead to product registration or label extensions, either in Europe or in the US. He joins Lanthio Pharma from Medpace GmbH, Munich/Germany, where he acted as Vice President Medical & Regulatory Affairs Europe. Prior to that, he held the positions of Chief Medical and Development Officer at TopoTarget A/S, Copenhagen/Denmark, and Medigene AG, Munich/Germany. From 2001 to 2003 he worked at MorphoSys AG as a Medical Director. Prior to that, Dr. Mescheder held various management positions in research and development at Genetics Institute/Wyeth-Ayerst Research (Pfizer), Centeon (CSL Behring) and Hoffmann-La Roche.

About Lanthio Pharma
Lanthio Pharma B.V., a wholly owned subsidiary of MophoSys AG since 2015, is a Dutch biopharmaceutical company committed to developing and commercializing therapeutic peptides to activate difficult to target receptors (e.g. GPCRs). With its proprietary technology, the Company is generating lanthipeptides, a new class of molecules markedly enhanced for stability and selectivity. Lanthio Pharma is focused on the protective arm of the Renin-Angiotensin System (RAS) for which the therapeutic potential has been proven but not yet turned into therapeutic benefit. Lanthio Pharma has currently two programs targeting the two key receptors in this pathway. The lead product, MOR107 (formerly LP2), is a selective AT2 receptor agonist in development for Diabetic Nephropathy, with possible further applications in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other fibrotic diseases. MOR107 is currently in preclinical development and expected to enter clinical development in the forthcoming months.