AMGEN ANNOUNCES NEW SUCCESSES FOR DRUGS ARANESP, ENBREL.Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer THOUSAND OAKS Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. - Biotechnology giant Amgen released data Monday illustrating anti-anemia drug Aranesp's ability to treat patients with lymphoid lymphoid /lym·phoid/ (lim´foid) resembling or pertaining to lymph or tissue of the lymphoid system. lym·phoid adj. Of or relating to lymph or the lymphatic tissue where lymphocytes are formed. cancer - ultimately enhancing the product's market breadth market breadth See breadth of market. in Europe. The data show that three times as many anemic patients taking Aranesp with lymphoid cancer than those who took a placebo experienced increases in hemoglobin levels. The information bolsters a recent recommendation by the European Committee on Proprietary Medicinal Products to expand the Aranesp label. The drug is already approved in the United States for the treatment of patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia. ``This is a continued sign of the success of Aranesp in the global marketplace, showing how this product helps patients suffering from anemia,'' said Michael Beckerich, an Amgen spokesman. ``And the news on Aranesp is materially important in that it will help those people taking the drug in Europe get reimbursed,'' said Dennis Harp, analyst with Deutsche Bank-North America in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of . Thousand Oaks-based Amgen also announced Monday that Enbrel, in combination with methotrexate methotrexate, drug used in halting the growth of actively proliferating tissues. Introduced in the 1950s, it is used in the treatment of leukemia, psoriasis, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. - both used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis rheumatoid arthritis Chronic, progressive autoimmune disease causing connective-tissue inflammation, mostly in synovial joints. It can occur at any age, is more common in women, and has an unpredictable course. - are effective together compared with either drug alone. The company said that these results will be presented in Lisbon, Portugal, this week at a symposium for the European League Against Rheumatism rheumatism (r  `mətĭzəm), general term for a number of disorders that cause inflammation and pain in muscles, bones, joints, or nerves. . `'The Enbrel data continues to show the long-term benefits of the drug when compared with (rival drug) Humira,'' Harp said. Enbrel has been a powerful source of revenue for Amgen of late. Much of the company's 75 percent revenue growth in the first quarter was attributed to Amgen's purchase of Immunex and its high-powered drug Enbrel. Enbrel contributed $247 million to Amgen's top line during the 2003 first quarter, with sales power not available in the year-ago period. Amgen shares rose $2.50, or 3.85 percent, to close at $67.50 Monday on the Nasdaq market. Evan Pondel, (818) 713-3662 evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion