Amgen's Small Molecule Sample Bank Harnesses Robotics Technology to Accelerate Drug Discovery Advances; -20 Degrees C Temperature Sets New Standard for Sample Preservation.

Business Editors

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. and CAMBRIDGE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 21, 2001--Amgen, (NASDAQ:AMGN) the world's leading biotechnology company, and The Automation Partnership (TAP) of Cambridge, England, are collaborating to integrate advances in biotechnology with the acceleration of technology in information storage technology and robotics. TAP is helping Amgen design and build an automated small molecule sample storage, retrieval and preparation system for potential human therapeutic drug candidates.

Amgen has inaugurated the $8 million system, which is comprised of trays with thousands of frozen samples, robots, laser scanners and "smart" conveyor belts that archive, retrieve and, ultimately prepare and deliver customized formulations of samples for what someday may yield conventional oral drugs. Amgen's three current products are all injected protein formulations.

The core of the sample bank is an automated storage and retrieval system known as Haystack(TM). The Haystack system was designed and built in collaboration with the Automation Partnership. Amgen will use the automated Haystack technology to archive, manage and retrieve its rapidly expanding library of proprietary small molecule compounds used by its research and pre-clinical groups.

The database and control software enables Haystack to continuously track every movement of every sample, thus, potentially reducing cycle times substantially and reducing the likelihood of human error such as misplacement of compounds by several orders of magnitude.

-20 Degrees C Storage Temperature and 2D-coded Microtubes Set New Standard

Two main features set Amgen's Haystack system apart from those installed by large pharmaceutical companies. Amgen's system stores samples at -20 Degrees C (-4 Degrees F), increasing the stability and storage life of samples substantially. Current Haystack systems store samples at 4 Degrees C. Lowering the storage temperature to -20 Degrees C presented a number of engineering challenges, including preventing lubricants from freezing, maintaining the flexibility of seals and gaskets and avoiding the formation of ice at points of entry into the bank.

In addition, Amgen and The Automation Partnership were the first to apply a two-dimensional (2D) dot code system used to read and track the contents of every sample microtube. The identification system contains many times the amount of identification data as traditional bar code systems do.

The Haystack system is capable of preparing hundreds of thousands of samples per day, thereby increasing screening capacity at least five-fold. Haystack sample requests are initiated via a suite of internal Amgen web applications.

Amgen's Haystack system can store more than 1 million samples and rapidly deliver them to the Company's scientists. Samples can be stored dry in bottles, in microtiter plates and in microtubes as solutions.

"What we are doing is harnessing robotics technology to improve the efficiency of drug discovery," said Roger Perlmutter, M.D., Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Research and Development. "External acquisition and improvements in synthetic chemistry are producing thousands of new compounds. The Haystack automated system will make Amgen Research more productive by helping our scientists more efficiently manage these crucial starting materials," Dr. Perlmutter added.

"Our robotic high throughput screening systems have already accelerated the speed with which we screen candidates. The automated sample bank should accelerate our drug discovery and development timelines. We are confident that our bank will help Amgen speed important new drugs to patients and health care providers who need them," said Peter Grandsard, Associate Director, Research Information and Automation Technologies, who oversaw the automation of Amgen's sample bank.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve significant risks and uncertainties, including those discussed below and more fully described in the Securities and Exchange Commission reports filed by Amgen, including our most recent Form 10-Q. Amgen conducts research in the biotechnology/pharmaceutical field where movement from concept to product is uncertain; consequently, there can be no guarantee that any particular product candidate will be successful and become a commercial product.

Furthermore, our research, testing, pricing, marketing and other operations are subject to extensive regulation by domestic and foreign government regulatory authorities. In addition, sales of our products are affected by reimbursement policies imposed by third party payors, including governments, private insurance plans and managed care providers. These government regulations and reimbursement policies may affect the development, usage and pricing of our products.

In addition, while we routinely obtain patents for our products and technology, the protection offered by our patents and patent applications may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented by our competitors.

Because forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from current results expected by Amgen. Amgen is providing this information as of March 20, 2001 and does not plan to update this information until its next earnings press release and expressly disclaims any duty to update information contained in this press release.

Amgen is a global biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets cost-effective human therapeutics based on advances in cellular and molecular biology.

An electronic version of this news release may be accessed via our web site at www.Amgen.com. Visit the Corporate Center and click on Amgen News. Journalists and media representatives may sign up to receive all news releases electronically at time of announcement by filling out a short form in the Amgen News section of the web site.

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