Amgen to Seek Corporate Partner to Develop Broad Inflammation Portfolio.THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 4, 1997--Amgen (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on :AMGN) Thursday announced that it will seek a corporate partner for its ongoing inflammation research and development program, headquartered in Boulder, Colo., to ensure that the full potential of its inflammation program is realized. As part of this plan, the Amgen Boulder unit will be reorganized into a stand-alone, fully integrated, inflammation research and development company with a number of promising product candidates in preclinical development, three of which have been studied in humans: -- IL-1ra, or interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, is a recombinant form of a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory protein that appears to mediate substances secreted as part of the body's inflammatory process. It is currently in a phase I/II trial 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. in treating 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. . -- TNF-bp, or tumor necrosis factor tumor necrosis factor n. Abbr. TNF A protein that is produced in the presence of an endotoxin, especially by monocytes and macrophages, is able to attack and destroy tumor cells, and exacerbates chronic inflammatory diseases. binding protein, has been in clinical studies for possible use in rheumatoid arthritis. It is being replaced by a second-generation protein that has demonstrated greater potential than the original molecule. A phase I/II trial of this molecule in treating rheumatoid arthritis is planned to begin in the first half of 1998. -- SLPI SLPI Secretory Leukocyte Protease Inhibitor (saliva protein) SLPI Sri Lanka Press Institute , or secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor Secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI) is a highly cationic single-chain protein with eight intramolecular disulfide bonds. It is found in large quantities in bronchial, cervical, and nasal mucosa, saliva, and seminal fluids. , is a recombinant protein recombinant protein Molecular biology A protein encoded by recombinant DNA or generated from a recombinant gene. See Recombinant pharmacology. that inhibits several inflammatory proteases. "Inflammation is a large field with tremendous opportunity and significant unmet medical needs. Amgen has made great strides in establishing a world-class inflammation program in Boulder. The very nature of inflammatory diseases makes drug research and development both exciting and challenging. Achieving maximum success for our product program in this complicated and competitive arena will require substantial additional investments in both time and resources," said Gordon Binder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "At the same time, we are expanding our commitment to neurobiology Neurobiology Study of the development and function of the nervous system, with emphasis on how nerve cells generate and control behavior. The major goal of neurobiology is to explain at the molecular level how nerve cells differentiate and develop their with the recently announced Guilford collaboration and Amgen scientists are actively exploring promising leads in oncology and other areas. We have too many promising product candidates for the available level of R&D resources. By sharing the costs and the opportunities in inflammation with a partner, we can conduct a broad inflammation research and development program while simultaneously pursuing aggressive development programs for our product candidates in other areas." Previously, Amgen has established several corporate partnerships to share commercialization expenses, including Kirin for NEUPOGEN(R), EPOGEN(R) and MGDF MGDF Megakaryocyte Growth and Development Factor , Johnson & Johnson for EPOGEN(R), F. Hoffmann-La Roche for NEUPOGEN(R) and Yamanouchi for consensus interferon. Amgen is a global biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets human therapeutics based on advances in cellular and molecular biology. -0- EDITOR'S NOTE: An electronic version of this news release may be accessed via Amgen's 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. CONTACT: Amgen, Thousand Oaks David Kaye, 805/447-6692 (media) Denise Powell, 805/447-4346 (investors) |
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