THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. and LOS ANGELES, Sept. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) and the County of Los Angeles today announced that Amgen has agreed to become a founding sponsor of BioLA, a newly formed organization focused on advancing a life science innovation hub in Los Angeles County. The innovation hub is designed to contribute to advancements in global health by strengthening the County's life sciences ecosystem and accelerating the pace of startup activity. BioLA will also focus on creating jobs, driving economic development and promoting the County's public healthcare system.
"Amgen was founded in 1980 and has grown into one of the largest independent biotechnology companies in the world. We are now part of a vibrant life sciences community in and around Los Angeles County that has all of the ingredients for sustained success, including world-class research institutions, experienced managerial talent, ambitious startups, incubator space and venture funding," said David Piacquad, senior vice president of Business Development at Amgen. "Through our participation in BioLA, we look forward to further supporting the growth of this innovation ecosystem as we work in collaboration with the County of Los Angeles and other local entities."
"Los Angeles County runs the nation's second largest municipal health system, spending over $10 billion annually to serve its 10 million residents," said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas. "We are proud to partner alongside our leaders in science and business to rightly put Los Angeles on the map as a global leader in bioscience innovation. We welcome biotech giant Amgen's acumen and resources, alongside others, in growing our startup ecosystem."
BioLA's mission is to ensure that Los Angeles County has the collaborative, highly coalesced ecosystem needed to translate cutting-edge science and technology from its academic centers into successful companies. The BioLA organization will bring together stakeholders that include academic institutions, research hospitals, investors, startups, mature companies, trade associations and public and quasi-public agencies to advance the pace of innovation. BioLA also will engage in activities to support the innovation community, including strategic investments, stakeholder outreach and local executive talent development. In addition to County government and Amgen, BioLA's founding sponsors will include philanthropists and other life science stakeholders.
About Amgen
Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.
Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.
For more information, visit www.amgen.com and follow us on www.twitter.com/amgen.
CONTACT: Amgen, Thousand Oaks
Kristen Davis, 805-447-3008 (media)
Trish Hawkins, 805-447-5631 (media)
Arvind Sood, 805-447-1060 (investors)
CONTACT: County of Los Angeles
Sasha Quintana, Chatter Republic (media)
(310) 272-4925
sasha@chatterrepublic.com
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SOURCE Amgen
