Free Republic

WASHINGTON (Reuters)—The U.S. government this week bought $290 million in supplies of a drug designed to treat blood cell injuries following radiological and nuclear emergencies as part of what it said were long-standing efforts to prepare for potential health impacts from threats to national security. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services purchased the drug Nplate from Amgen Inc. When asked whether the purchase, announced Tuesday, was linked to tensions with Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, an HHS spokesperson said it was part of ongoing efforts to prepare for a wide range of threats including chemical, biological, radiological,...

Cancer researchers are making progress toward a goal that has eluded them for more than 30 years: shrinking tumors by shutting off a protein called KRAS that drives growth in many cancer types. A new type of drug aimed at KRAS made tumors disappear in mice and shrank tumors in lung cancer patients, two companies report in papers published this week. It’s not yet clear whether the drugs will extend patients’ lives, but the results are generating a wave of excitement. And one company, Amgen, reports an unexpected bonus: Its drug also appears to stimulate the immune system to attack...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - More than 30 years have passed since President Richard Nixon declared a "war on cancer," and while no single cure has been found, many new treatments have come to market. Meanwhile, the nation's two biggest biotechs, Amgen (down $1.27 to $67.10, Research) and Genentech (down $2.85 to $75.93, Research), have emerged as leaders in the market for cancer drugs. Amgen, based in Thousand Oaks, Calif., makes two treatments for chemotherapy patients: Neupogen, a $1.2 billion drug, and Neulasta, at $1.7 billion.

An estimated 10 million Americans suffer from osteoporosis, according to the National Institutes of Health. Another 34 million are considered at increased risk for getting the bone disease. A good many of those patients stand to benefit if a new osteoporosis drug from Amgen (NasdaqNM:AMGN - News) turns out to be successful. Phase two data on the investigational drug, dubbed Denosumab, was recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The drug was given in twice-yearly injections. A total of 412 postmenopausal women with low bone marrow density were randomly assigned to receive Denosumab, Merck's (NYSE:MRK - News) Fosamax...

Autopsy Shows Withdrawn Drug Was Helping Man With Parkinson'sBy Randolph E. Schmid Associated Press Writer Published: Jul 1, 2005 WASHINGTON (AP) - A drug withdrawn from clinical trials because of safety concerns was helping regrow nerve fibers in the brain of a man with Parkinson's disease, scientists report. The finding probably will renew debate over the drug, GDNF. It had offered encouragement to people with Parkinson's who reported improvement when using it in trials. But the drug was withdrawn by the manufacturer, Amgen Inc., this year. Some of those patients in the trial sued Amgen to get continued supplies of...

With his condition deteriorating from Parkinson's disease last year, Steve Kaufman gave up making improvements to his home in Algonquin, Ill. "I couldn't even hold a nail stable," he recalled. Earlier this year, after taking an experimental drug in a clinical trial, Mr. Kaufman built new kitchen cabinets and an outdoor deck. He was so steady he could walk across a narrow piece of lumber like an Olympic gymnast on the balance beam. The drug, however, is no longer available to Mr. Kaufman or other Parkinson's patients in clinical trials. In June, its developer, Amgen, announced that the drug, which...

Parthenon exits Spheris by David Carey Updated 06:18 PM EST, Nov-9-2004 TOP DEAL HEADLINES Movers & shakers: Nov. 15, 2004 Parthenon exits Spheris Amgen grows its own VC arm Tech IPOs show big gains Investor slams GenCorp Warburg Pincus LLC and Soros Private Equity Partners LLC acquired Spheris Inc. in a secondary buyout from Parthenon Capital LLC, which said it earned roughly a 500% profit on its $25 million equity investment in the Franklin, Tenn.-based medical transcription company. In addition to New York-based Warburg and Soros, Spheris' president and CEO, Steven Simpson invested in the recapitalization. Terms weren't disclosed. But...

Amgen's anemia drug, the best-selling product developed so far by the biotechnology industry, might have broad new uses, recent studies have found. Laboratory and animal studies have shown that in addition to bolstering the body's red blood cells, the drug, EPO, is present in the central nervous system and acts to protect cells and tissues from damage and death. That could make it useful as a treatment for strokes, spinal cord injuries, multiple sclerosis and many other ailments. Testing in humans is in very early stages. A small study by academic scientists in Germany found that EPO, when given within...