Amgen Joins Medtronic to Fight Nerve Disease

Amgen Inc., the Thousand Oaks biotechnology giant, has signed a joint-research agreement with Medtronic Inc. of Minneapolis in an effort to treat such nerve disorders as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

The partners hope to produce an implantable pump that will deliver a drug being developed by Amgen and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals of Tarrytown, N.Y. The drug, called brain-derived neurotrophic factor, would be delivered directly to a patient’s central nervous system.

Medtronic is a medical device manufacturer whose products include heart pacemakers. Financial terms of the project were not disclosed.