Immunex Has OK to Widen Market for Enbrel

Immunex Corp. said it won permission to market its flagship drug, Enbrel, for treating early-stage rheumatoid arthritis, boosting the drug’s potential market to about 1 million patients from about 300,000. In the decision announced after the markets closed, the Food and Drug Administration also gave Seattle-based Immunex permission to claim that Enbrel can delay or stop the progression of rheumatoid arthritis. Earlier in the day, Immunex said Enbrel sales were $50 million in May, putting it on pace to bring in $600 million a year. The drug’s sales were $367 million last year. Immunex officials have billed Enbrel as the driver of the company’s growth in 2000. American Home Products Corp. owns a majority stake in Immunex, and AHP unit Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories co-markets Enbrel in North America. Immunex shares closed up $1.11 at $32.11 on Nasdaq.