MorphoSys woos Merck KGaA vet to lead late-stage push for blockbuster prospect

MorphoSys made it clear when it shuttered all US-based discovery work earlier this year that it wants to keep its focus in its home base of Germany. So it may be little surprise that as R&D chief Malte Peters retires, his successor will be someone who’s deeply enmeshed in the European biopharma scene.

Tim Demuth

Tim Demuth, a former head of global clinical development oncology at Merck KGaA who most recently served as Pieris Pharmaceuticals’ CMO, will become MorphoSys’ new chief research and development officer.

You can put a big star next to the development part of his title. He joins as MorphoSys nears the final push for pelabresib (CPI-0610), the crown jewel from its $1.7 billion acquisition of Constellation Pharmaceuticals, and weeks after the biotech punted two antibodies to a secretive ARCH-backed startup in exchange for $15 million in cash, plus milestones and an equity stake.

Success here will be critical to MorphoSys’ goal of reaching profitability in 2026 — the anticipated first full year of pelabresib US sales. The company expects the drug to bring in $1 billion at peak.

Over a five-year stint, Peters — whose career spanned roles at Merck KGaA, Micromet, Novartis and Sandoz — helped usher MorphoSys’ first drug to the market in Monjuvi, or tafasitamab, which was approved by the FDA for use in refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

The drug, a CD19-targeting bispecific, is being tested in a Phase III trial for first-line use while MorphoSys tries to find a niche in the competitive CD19 market.

Jean-Paul Kress

CEO Jean-Paul Kress praised Peters for pushing the company “to think differently.” Peters was also credited for optimizing the pelabresib trial in first-line myelofibrosis. In a recent call with analysts, Peters noted that after a slow start, the trial “is now enrolling really at an unprecedented speed,” and there’s “increase in excitement” from physicians.

Demuth will now take over all of those. In addition to pelabresib, which is billed as a potential first- and best-in-class BET inhibitor, among the legacy pipeline from Constellation there’s also CPI-0209, a second-generation EZH2 inhibitor, that is in mid-to late-stage development.

Trained in Germany, Demuth previously led hematology development for Sandoz and held other roles at Novartis, Merck and an Italian player called Italfarmaco.

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