Fresenius Medical Care and Amgen Enter New Commercial Collaboration in Europe.BAD HOMBURG, Germany -- Fresenius Medical Care Fresenius Medical Care is a German company specializing in the production of medical supplies, primarily to facilitate or aid renal dialysis. It is 37%-owned by the health care company Fresenius SE. , the world's leading renal therapy company, today announced that it has entered into a new agreement with Amgen Europe (Amgen) for Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa). Under the agreement, Fresenius Medical Care will devote efforts to assist Amgen in disseminating scientific information regarding the treatment of anemia to nephrologists and other dialysis experts. Amgen and its representatives are and will remain solely responsible for the product. The new agreement runs for three years. Patients with chronic kidney disease Chronic kidney disease (CKD), also know as chronic renal disease, is a progressive loss of renal function over a period of months or years through five stages. Each stage is a progression through an abnormally low and progressively worse glomerular filtration rate, which is on dialysis and not on dialysis often suffer from complications such as anaemia, which occurs when failing kidneys no longer produce sufficient erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells Red blood cells Cells that carry hemoglobin (the molecule that transports oxygen) and help remove wastes from tissues throughout the body. Mentioned in: Bone Marrow Transplantation red blood cells . Aranesp is a novel recombinant erythropoiesis erythropoiesis /eryth·ro·poi·e·sis/ (-poi-e´sis) the formation of erythrocytes.erythropoiet´ic e·ryth·ro·poi·e·sis n. The formation or production of red blood cells. stimulating protein (ESP (1) (Enhanced Service Provider) An organization that adds value to basic telephone service by offering such features as call-forwarding, call-detailing and protocol conversion. ) that stimulates erythropoiesis to produce red blood cells. Aranesp has a proven tolerability and proven efficacy, across all stages of chronic kidney disease. Dr. Ben Lipps, Chief Executive Officer of Fresenius Medical Care, commented: "We are pleased to partner with Amgen on an expanded scale to further improve medical outcomes for dialysis patients in Europe. Amgen and Fresenius Medical Care are well known for their commitment to developing and establishing new therapies for the benefit of patients with end-stage renal disease End-stage renal disease (ESRD) Total kidney failure; chronic kidney failure is diagnosed as ESRD when kidney function falls to 5-10% of capacity. Mentioned in: Chronic Kidney Failure end-stage renal disease . Furthermore, this agreement clearly advances our renal drug initiatives and emphasizes the position of both companies as leaders in nephrology innovation." Aranesp is a trademark of Amgen Inc. Aranesp Summary of Product Characteristics. European Medicines Agency The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) is a European agency for the evaluation of medicinal products. Until 2004, the European Medicines Agency was known as The European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products. Roughly parallel to the U.S. . www.emea.eu.int/humandocs/Humans/EPAR/aranesp/aranesp.htm (Accessed 28th November 2006) About Fresenius Medical Care Fresenius Medical Care is the world's largest integrated provider of products and services for individuals undergoing dialysis because of chronic kidney failure Chronic Kidney Failure Definition Chronic kidney failure occurs when disease or disorder damages the kidneys so that they are no longer capable of adequately removing fluids and wastes from the body or of maintaining the proper level of certain , a condition that affects more than 1,400,000 individuals worldwide. Through its network of 2,085 dialysis clinics in North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Africa, Fresenius Medical Care provides dialysis treatment to 161,433 patients around the globe. Fresenius Medical Care is also the world's leading provider of dialysis products such as hemodialysis machines, dialyzers and related disposable products). Fresenius Medical Care is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange Frankfurt Stock Exchange The largest of Germany's eight securities exchanges, operated by Deutsche Borse AS. (FME, FME3) and the New York Stock Exchange New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) World's largest marketplace for securities. The exchange began as an informal meeting of 24 men in 1792 on what is now Wall Street in New York City. (FMS FMS - Flexible Manufacturing System (factory automation). , FMS-p). For more information about Fresenius Medical Care visit the Company's website at www.fmc-ag.com. About Amgen Amgen discovers, develops and delivers innovative human therapeutics. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen was one of the first companies to realize the new science's promise by bringing safe and effective medicines from lab, to manufacturing plant, to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other serious illnesses. With a broad and deep pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen remains committed to advancing science to dramatically improve people's lives. For more information about Amgen visit the Company's website at www.amgen.com. This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, including changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory reforms, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, and the availability of financing. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release. |
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