Amgen Wins Patent for Drug That Treats Anemia

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has granted Amgen a patent with additional claims to the processes for manufacturing erythropoietin products.

The patent provides protection against the unauthorized making, importation, use or sale of erythropoietin, or EPO, in the United States. It is based on Amgen’s work in identifying the human EPO gene and the development of processes for making EPO.

Amgen, based in Thousand Oaks, markets EPO in the United States as Epogen for the treatment of anemia for people on dialysis.

In another development, the company announced it has agreed to collaborate with F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. on the development of a product for the European Union, and Roche will grant to Amgen rights to certain intellectual property in the United States and other geographic markets.

In connection with the pact, Roche’s participation with Amgen in the sales of Neupogen in the European Union will be extended to the year 2010. Roche’s participation had been scheduled to phase out over the next few years.

Roche, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, develops and markets prescription drugs in virology, infectious diseases, cardiology, oncology, transplantation and obesity.