Amgen Inc. Earns Medal of Technology for Blood Cell Innovations

Amgen Inc.’s development of two innovative blood-cell drugs for cancer and kidney dialysis patients has won the Thousand Oaks-based biotechnology firm a National Medal of Technology, said government officials.

Amgen is one of six winners of the medal, which will be presented to Amgen Chief Executive Gordon Binder by President Clinton in early October.

The annual award is given to individuals or corporations who succeed in turning technological developments into useful and commercial products.

“This is the highest technology award in the United States,” said Virginia Miller, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Commerce, which administers the award. “The winners are the economic heroes of our country.”

“It’s not just that they invented something,” Miller added. “But they brought technological innovations into the marketplace. They significantly contributed to our economic prosperity.”

The two drugs, Epogen, approved by the Federal Drug Administration in 1989, and Neupogen, approved in 1991, propelled Amgen onto the Fortune 500 list and made it the nation’s largest biotechnology firm.

In 1993, the company had profits of $383 million on $1.37 billion in sales.

According to Amgen spokesman David Kaye, Epogen is a genetically engineered human protein that stimulates the growth of red blood cells. It is used to treat anemia--a common result of kidney failure--in dialysis patients.

Without frequent blood transfusions, dialysis patients are too weak to function normally. Epogen virtually eliminates the need for transfusions.

About 183,000 dialysis patients in the country use Epogen. The Department of Commerce credits it with cutting the number of all U.S. blood transfusions by 10%.

Neupogen jump-starts the body’s ability to produce white cells, the cells that fight infections, Kaye said. It is widely used to treat cancer patients who undergo high doses of chemotherapy, which can destroy white cells.

Neupogen allows doctors to use higher and more effective doses of chemotherapy, said Kaye. Patients spend less time in the hospital. The drug was recently approved for use in bone marrow transplants as well.

About 230,000 cancer patients use Neupogen in the United States, and 400,000 more worldwide.

“This is the recognition of a lot of hard work by a lot of smart people,” Binder said. “That is the real essence of this award. That and that a very large number of patients have derived some benefits from the products.”

The National Medal of Technology was mandated by Congress in 1980 to recognize technological achievements. The number of winners varies from year to year, according to Department of Commerce spokeswoman Miller. Nominations come from the private sector, and are reviewed by a Commerce Department committee that includes members of the private sector.

“Amgen has contributed to our national competitiveness, to job creation and our standard of living,” Miller said. “All Americans should know who these people are that have changed their lives.”