Billions of Dollars at Stake

BOSTON, October 25, 2007 - A federal jury in the U.S. Federal District Court in Boston this week decided that Amgen Inc.'s patents for its best-selling anemia drugs were infringed by Roche Holding AG's generic anemia drug.

In dispute in the case, Amgen Inc. v. F. Hoffmann-LaRoche LTD et al., were patents relating to two of Amgen's anemia therapies, Epogen and Aranesp, drugs that have generated billions of dollars in sales for Amgen.

In its verdict, the jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts found that all of Amgen's patent claims were valid, and that Roche's generic drug had infringed eleven of Amgen's patent claims.

Amgen, which stated that it is pleased with the jury's verdict, is now seeking an injunction to prevent Roche from commercializing its generic drug in the United States. Duane Morris partner Michael Gottfried led the Boston-based Duane Morris team, which contributed to the win.

Duane Morris has been counsel to Amgen, the largest biotechnology company in the world, for litigation and other intellectual property matters for nearly 20 years. Duane Morris has helped Amgen in the defense of patents in this case as well as for rheumatoid arthritis drugs, among other therapies.

About Duane Morris

Duane Morris LLP, one of the 100 largest law firms in the world, is a full-service firm of more than 600 lawyers. In addition to legal services, Duane Morris has independent affiliates employing approximately 100 professionals engaged in other disciplines. With offices in major markets in the United States and internationally, Duane Morris represents clients across the U.S. and around the world.