Amgen Issued Another Patent for Neupogen

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued another patent to Amgen Inc. covering various product rights to its biotechnology drug G-CSF, which is sold under the trade name Neupogen.

Neupogen, which generated sales last year of $936 million, was first approved for sale by the Food and Drug Administration in 1991. Amgen, based in Thousand Oaks, already has patents on the drug that cover various aspects of its manufacture.

But legal fights over successful drugs are commonplace in the drug business, and Amgen said this new patent will give it added intellectual property rights to the drug.

Neupogen generates white blood cells, a key infection fighter, and is used in a wide range of medical uses, from cancer chemotherapy to AIDS.