Dyax out-licenses access to Ab patents

USA-based biotherapeutics firm Dyax and German biotechnology company MorphoSys AS have signed a licensing agreement that grants the latter access to antibodies and other proteins developed by the former. The deal, financial terms of which were not disclosed, provides Martinsried-headquartered MorphoSys with rights to a variety of phage-display related patents, including several covering protocols for candidate display and selection.

The agreement also enables MorphoSys to sublicense the patents in conjunction with its proprietary technology, thereby providing flexibility for future development (see story above) and expanding the range of services that it can offer customers in the research, therapeutics and diagnostic sectors.

Henry Blair, Dyax' president and chief executive, said: "this agreement with MorphoSys recognizes the true value of our intellectual property portfolio," which, he added, is increasingly attractive to drug and biotechnology companies.