STUDY BACKS AMGEN'S ENBREL.

Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer

THOUSAND OAKS - Biotechnology giant Amgen Inc. said Friday that a pivotal study involving Enbrel proved the arthritis drug's ability to treat against moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

The study, presented at the annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in San Francisco, demonstrated that patients treated with Enbrel showed significant improvements in their symptoms. In the study, 49 percent of the patients treated with 50 mg of Enbrel twice weekly achieved at least a 75 percent improvement compared with a placebo after three months of therapy.

Analysts praised the study's findings, although they didn't believe it was surprising given Enbrel's already proved success.

``It's all about marketing. The company has had several of these releases. Amgen simply wants to broaden the drug's label. This is how you do it,'' said Stefan Loren, an analyst with Legg Mason in Maryland, in a previous interview.

Amgen and Johnson & Johnson have been battling to out-position each other in the arthritis-treatment arena.

A day before Amgen released the study results, Johnson & Johnson said its arthritis drug Remicade improved symptoms of the skin disorder psoriasis in 88 percent of patients receiving the highest dose of the drug.

Remicade is an antibody used to block the protein that causes inflammation. It's also approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease, an inflammatory bowel disease.

Amgen shares rose 59 cents, or 1 percent, to close at $58.56 Friday on the Nasdaq market. Johnson & Johnson shares added $1.28, or 2.23 percent, to close at $58.67 on the New York Stock Exchange.