Amgen Signs Research Pact With Alanex Corp.

Amgen Inc., the biotechnology giant based in Thousand Oaks, said it signed a collaboration agreement with Alanex Corp. of San Diego to design small-molecule drugs that could lead to treatments for neurological disorders.

Under the agreement, Amgen has made an equity investment in Alanex and will pay for at least three years of research and development. Terms were not disclosed. Amgen will also make milestone payments. In exchange, Amgen will have exclusive worldwide license to develop and commercialize products from the collaboration.

Amgen’s agreement with Alanex, a privately held company founded in 1991, is the latest among several that Amgen has signed recently with start-up biotechnology firms in its efforts to develop new products.