Amgen obtains broader patent protection for NEUPOGEN

Business Wire, Dec 4, 1996

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 4, 1996--Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) Wednesday announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued to the company a patent covering product rights to its recombinant G-CSF or NEUPOGEN (R) (Filgrastim).

The patent, issued on Dec. 3 as U.S. Patent No. 5,580,755, provides additional protection against unauthorized making, importation, use or sale of recombinant G-CSF in the United States. The patent provides 17 years of such protection. Previous patents cover aspects of DNA, vectors and processes related to recombinant G-CSF.

"This new patent provides additional, broad patent protection and strengthens our intellectual property position on NEUPOGEN," said Gordon Binder, Amgen's chairman and chief executive officer.

NEUPOGEN is licensed in this country by the Food and Drug Administration for the reduction of neutropenia in four indications: as an adjunct to cancer chemotherapy; to support Peripheral Blood Progenitor Cell (PBPC) transplants; in conjunction with Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT); and in a blood disorder known as Severe Chronic Neutropenia (SCN), in which the marrow fails to manufacture sufficient infection-fighting neutrophils.

Nine-month U.S. sales of NEUPOGEN through Sept. 30, 1996 were $534 million.

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

CONTACT: Amgen, Thousand Oaks

David Kaye, 805/447-6692 (media)

Denise Powell, 805/447-4346 (investors)