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Amgen stock rises on cancer drug news
World's biggest biotech tests tumor-shrinking drug and plans to file with FDA.
November 4, 2005: 4:40 PM EST
By Aaron Smith, CNN/Money staff writer

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Amgen's stock price climbed for a second consecutive day after the biotech and its partner Abgenix unveiled new data for an anti-cancer antibody.

Stock price for Amgen (up $1.68 to $79.19, Research), the biggest biotech in the world, climbed about 2 percent in Friday afternoon trading, after gaining about 2 percent on Thursday, when the company revealed late-stage clinical data for panitumumab.

The data, based on a randomized trial with 463 patients, showed that panitumumab reduced metastatic colorectal cancer tumors by 46 percent. Amgen spokeswoman Trish Hawkins said the drug was the company's most advanced anti-cancer therapy and would be submitted to the Food and Drug Administration in the first quarter of 2006.

Panitumumab is an intravenous antibody that, if approved by the FDA, would be taken by patients for whom chemotherapy treatment had been unsuccessful.

Based in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Amgen reported $10 billion in 2004 sales. Its top-selling product Epogen, an anemia treatment for patients on dialysis, totaled $2.6 billion in 2004 sales.

Abgenix (down $0.04 to $12.86, Research) experienced a decline in stock price of about 1 percent over Thursday and Friday. Based in Fremont, Calif., Abgenix reported $6 million in 2004 sales.

To read about the coming boom in cancer drugs, click here.  Top of page

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