Amgen Loses Bid to Move Patent Suit

Amgen Inc. lost its bid to move a patent-infringement lawsuit filed against it by Schering Corp. and Biogen Inc. to a federal court in California. Senior U.S. District Judge Murray Schwartz ruled it wasn’t unfair to make Amgen, based in Thousand Oaks, defend itself in federal court in Wilmington, Del. Schering and Biogen claim that Amgen infringed on a process to reproduce interferon, an illness-fighting protein. Schering, a unit of Schering-Plough Corp., and Biogen developed their interferon drug, Intron A, to combat AIDS-related diseases and hepatitis. Amgen shares fell 94 cents to close at $59.25 on Nasdaq. Madison, N.J.-based Schering-Plough’s shares rose 19 cents to close at $49.3125 on the NYSE, and Cambridge, Mass.-based Biogen’s shares fell $1.3125 to close at $33.19 on Nasdaq.