Neulasta, Enbrel Boost Amgen’s 4th Quarter

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Amgen Inc.’s fourth-quarter earnings rose a better-than-expected 10 percent on higher sales of its infection-fighting and anti-inflammatory drugs. The Thousand Oaks biotech also announced the acquisition of a company developing cancer drugs.

After the Monday markets closed, the world’s largest biotech by market cap reported net income of $1.02 billion ($1.08 per share), compared with $931 million (92 cents) a year earlier. Results also were boosted by extension of a research-and-development tax credit. Revenue rose 1 percent to $3.84 billion.

Excluding one-time costs, Amgen’s profit was $1.17 per share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected per-share profit of $1.11 on revenue of $3.81 billion.

Combined revenue from Neulasta and Neupogen, which prevent infections in chemotherapy patients, rose a combined 3 percent to $1.24 billion. Revenue from anti-inflammatory drug Enbrel also rose 3 percent to $939 million. Sales in both instances were boosted in part by price increases. But sales of anemia drug Aranesp, which have been handicapped by safety concerns, fell 2 percent to $633 million. Its predecessor, Epogen, saw a 16 percent decline to $591 million.

The company gave more conservative earnings guidance for the coming year than the Wall Street consensus. Amgen said it expects total revenue in the range of $15.1 billion to $15.5 billion, with adjusted per-share earnings in the range of $5 to $5.20. Analysts on average expect earnings of $5.28 per share on revenue of $15.2 billion.

Separately, Amgen announced a definitive agreement to acquire a venture-funded Woburn, Mass. biotech called BioVex Group, which is developing cancer-fighting vaccines.

Amgen said it will pay BioVex’s investors $425 million in cash at closing, and potentially up to $575 million in additional payments if certain regulatory and sales milestones are met. BioVex has a vaccine called OncoVEX in late-stage clinical trials to treat melanoma, head and neck cancers.

“Amgen is particularly excited about joining with BioVex and its talented staff to focus on advancing this late-stage investigational therapy, with the hope of bringing it to market within the next few years,” said Roger Perlmutter, Amgen’s executive vice president for research and development, in a statement.

Shares earlier closed down 32 cents, or less than a percent, to $57.29 on the Nasdaq and were down less than a percent in after-hours trading.

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