Biotech Giant Amgen Wins Another Patent for EPO

Amgen Inc., the Thousand Oaks-based biotechnology giant, has been issued another patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office related to the manufacture of its red blood cell drug erythropoietin.

EPO was Amgen’s first drug, approved for sale by the FDA in 1989. It has become a blockbuster, used to treat anemia in patients with kidney disease.

In the past Amgen has fought and won protracted legal battles with rivals to protects its EPO patents.