European Regulatory Agency Grants Orphan Status to Morphotek(R)'s Farletuzumab and MORAb-009

Exton, Pennsylvania (ots/PRNewswire) -

- Upon Marketing Authorization Orphan Status Would Provide for
Ten Years of Market Exclusivity in the European Union for Both
Investigational Treatments

Morphotek(R), Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Corporation of North
America, announced today that the European Commission has granted
orphan drug status to the monoclonal antibodies - farletuzumab (also
known as MORAb-003) for the treatment of ovarian cancer and MORAb-009
for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Farletuzumab is currently being evaluated in a Phase II efficacy
study in patients with platinum sensitive ovarian cancer. In Phase I
studies, farletuzumab was well tolerated in patients with advanced,
platinum-resistant or refractory ovarian cancer over the course of
the treatment period and clinical observations therein suggested
pharmacological activity on the disease. MORAb-009 is currently being
evaluated in a Phase II study in first-line therapy with gemcitabine
in patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer. MORAb-009 was well
tolerated in Phase I studies and clinical observations from those
studies suggested anti-tumor activity.

"We are very pleased to have received the European Commission's
orphan drug designation for these investigational treatments," said
Nicholas C. Nicolaides, Ph.D., President and CEO of Morphotek. "This
further strengthens these two important programs by offering several
clinical development and commercialization benefits."

"We are making good progress with our clinical development
programs for farletuzumab for the treatment of ovarian and MORAb-009
in pancreatic cancer," said Martin D. Phillips, M.D., Senior Vice
President of Clinical Development for Morphotek. "The Phase I study
results for each molecule were promising, and the ongoing Phase II
studies are designed to evaluate their efficacy in combination with
currently accepted chemotherapy regimens in patients with ovarian or
pancreatic cancer. These studies are being conducted in Europe, the
United States, Argentina and Brazil."

Created to encourage research and development of drugs for
diseases with small patient populations, orphan drug designation in
the European Union provides for 10 years of market exclusivity in the
European Union following marketing authorization, fee reductions for
certain regulatory activities related to the development of the
antibodies, direct access to the Centralized Procedure of the
European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for review of marketing applications
and possible research and development grants from certain EU member
states. An orphan designation is not a marketing authorization, which
can only be granted after the quality, safety and efficacy of the
product are demonstrated.

In the European Union, ovarian cancer is estimated to affect
approximately 2.9 people in 10,000 and pancreatic cancer is estimated
to affect 1.2 people in 10,000.

About Morphotek

Morphotek, Inc., a subsidiary of Eisai Corporation of North
America, is a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the
development of protein and antibody products through the use of a
novel and proprietary gene evolution technology. The technology has
been successfully applied to a broad variety of cell lines and
organisms to yield genetically diverse offspring that are suitable
for pharmaceutical product development in the areas of antibody
therapeutics, protein therapeutics, product manufacturing, drug
target discovery, and improved output traits for commercial
applications. The company is currently focusing its platform on the
development and manufacturing of therapeutic antibodies for the
treatment of cancer, inflammation and infectious disease. For more
information, please visit http://www.morphotek.com.

About Eisai Corporation of North America

Eisai Corporation of North America is a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Eisai Co., Ltd. and supports the activities of its operating
companies in North America. These operating companies include: Eisai
Research Institute of Boston, Inc., a discovery operation with strong
organic chemistry capabilities; Morphotek, Inc., a biopharmaceutical
company specializing in the development of therapeutic monoclonal
antibodies; Eisai Medical Research Inc., a clinical development
group; Eisai Inc., a commercial operation with manufacturing and
marketing/sales functions; MGI PHARMA, INC., an R&D and commercial
operation with manufacturing and marketing/sales functions; and Eisai
Machinery U.S.A., which markets and maintains pharmaceutical
manufacturing machinery.

About Eisai Co., Ltd

Eisai Co., Ltd. is a research-based human health care (hhc)
company that discovers, develops and markets products throughout the
world. Eisai focuses its efforts in three therapeutic areas:
integrative neuroscience, including neurology and psychiatric
medicines; gastrointestinal disorders; and integrative oncology,
including oncotherapy and supportive-care treatments. Through a
global network of research facilities, manufacturing sites and
marketing affiliates, Eisai actively participates in all aspects of
the worldwide healthcare system.

ots Originaltext: Morphotek
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Contact: Nicholas Nicolaides, Morphotek, Inc., +1-610-423-6100,
info@morphotek.com; Judee Shuler, Eisai Corporation Of North America,
+1-201-746-2241, judee_shuler@eisai.com; Bryan Evans, Reverb-DBC,
+1-215-957-0300, bevans@dbcommunications.com