THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., Oct 23, 2003 -- Amgen Inc. (Nasdaq: AMGN), the world's largest biotechnology company, has been named among the top biotechnology and pharmaceutical employers in a comprehensive survey sponsored by Science magazine for the second consecutive year. In this year's survey, Amgen was ranked third, up from eighth place in 2002.
According to Science, Amgen's ascent to the number three spot in the reader-response survey is primarily based on its leadership's ability to keep the organization moving in the right direction, the attribute that responders ranked as most important in this year's survey. Out of 42 attributes that companies were ranked against, 'top leadership that keeps the organization on track' replaced 'innovative industry leader' as the top-ranking attribute this year, reflecting a shift in reader sentiment from a focus on external or industry factors to a focus on internal corporate matters.
"At Amgen, we aspire to be the best human therapeutics company, introducing products that dramatically improve people's lives," said Roger Perlmutter, M.D., Ph.D., executive vice president, research and development at Amgen. "That aspiration is ennobling, challenging and brings a certain passion to our work. Over the last three years, we've made significant changes in our R&D leadership, linking the R&D organization with drug development and manufacturing to optimize the delivery of novel therapeutics. We are pleased that our efforts are being recognized," said Perlmutter.
Founded in 1980, Amgen is a pioneer in the biotechnology industry. Based on a history of scientific innovation, Amgen launched the first biotechnology blockbuster products, EPOGEN(R) (Epoetin alfa) and NEUPOGEN(R) (Filgrastim), and continues to research, identify and develop novel therapeutics to treat grievous illness. The Company invests heavily in research and development, having invested 22 percent of total product sales in R&D in 2002, among the highest reinvestment levels in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries.
Areas of research focus include oncology, neurosciences, inflammation, metabolic disorders and hematology.
Survey Overview
According to the publication, the survey includes responses from more than 900 readers of Science, 94 percent of whom work in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and biopharmaceutical industries in the U.S. and Europe. Of those who participated in the survey, more than 75 percent have an M.D., Ph.D., or M.D.-Ph.D. The survey was designed and conducted by Hughes Research Worldwide (HRW), an independent research and consulting firm specializing in work culture.
Amgen is a global biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets important human therapeutics based on advances in cellular and molecular biology.
CONTACT: Amgen, Thousand Oaks
Media, (805) 447-4587