ITC to investigate Amgen's complaint against Roche's Peg-EPO

By Lisa Kerner

Erie, Pa., May 9 - Amgen said that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), in response to the company's April 11 filing, has decided to start an investigation of Roche's importation of pegylated recombinant human erythropoietin (peg-EPO) into the United States.

Amgen is asking the ITC to issue a permanent exclusion order that would prohibit importation of peg-EPO into the United States, according to a company news release.

Amgen believes Roche's peg-EPO violates six of its U.S. patents.

Additionally, Amgen claims Roche's peg-EPO does not provide any additional clinical or patient benefit over Amgen's therapies, EPOGEN (Epoetin alfa) and Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa).

Amgen said it is also pursuing a federal lawsuit against Roche that was filed in November 2005.

Amgen is a biotechnology company based in Thousand Oaks, Calif.

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