OREANDA-NEWS. January 27, 2016. Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted for review Amgen's Biologics License Application (BLA) for ABP 501, a biosimilar candidate to Humira® (adalimumab).

"If approved, we believe ABP 501 could serve as an important additional approved therapeutic option for patients with chronic inflammatory conditions," said

Sean E. Harper, M.D., executive vice president of Research and Development at Amgen. "We look forward to potentially expanding our robust portfolio of approved products, and further demonstrating our continued commitment to delivering high-quality medicines to patients worldwide."

The BLA, submitted on Nov. 25, 2015, is based on analytical, clinical and pharmacokinetic data. Phase 3 comparative efficacy and safety studies were conducted in both moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis and moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis. The Phase 3 studies met their primary endpoints showing clinical equivalence to adalimumab. Safety and immunogenicity of ABP 501 were also comparable to adalimumab. Data to support the transition of adalimumab patients to ABP 501 are included in the submission.

The FDA has set a Biosimilar User Fee Act (BsUFA) target action date of Sept. 25, 2016, for ABP 501.

About ABP 501

ABP 501 is a biosimilar candidate to adalimumab, an anti-TNF-? monoclonal antibody, which is approved in many regions for the treatment of several inflammatory diseases. The active ingredient of ABP 501 is an anti-TNF-? monoclonal antibody that has the same amino acid sequence as adalimumab. ABP 501 has the same pharmaceutical dosage form and strength as adalimumab (U.S.) and adalimumab (EU).

About Amgen Biosimilars

Amgen Biosimilars is committed to building upon Amgen's experience in the development and manufacturing of innovative human therapeutics to expand Amgen's reach to patients with serious illnesses. Biosimilars offer the potential to increase patient access to vital medicines, and Amgen is well positioned to leverage its 35 years of experience in biotechnology to create high-quality biosimilars and reliably supply them to patients worldwide.

For more information, visit www.amgenbiosimilars.com and follow us on www.twitter.com/amgenbiosim.

About Amgen

Amgen is committed to unlocking the potential of biology for patients suffering from serious illnesses by discovering, developing, manufacturing and delivering innovative human therapeutics. This approach begins by using tools like advanced human genetics to unravel the complexities of disease and understand the fundamentals of human biology.

Amgen focuses on areas of high unmet medical need and leverages its biologics manufacturing expertise to strive for solutions that improve health outcomes and dramatically improve people's lives. A biotechnology pioneer since 1980, Amgen has grown to be one of the world's leading independent biotechnology companies, has reached millions of patients around the world and is developing a pipeline of medicines with breakaway potential.

For more information, visit www.amgen.com and follow us on www.twitter.com/amgen.

Forward-Looking Statements  

This news release contains forward-looking statements that are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including estimates of revenues, operating margins, capital expenditures, cash, other financial metrics, expected legal, arbitration, political, regulatory or clinical results or practices, customer and prescriber patterns or practices, reimbursement activities and outcomes and other such estimates and results. Forward-looking statements involve significant risks and uncertainties, including those discussed below and more fully described in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) reports filed by Amgen, including Amgen's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent periodic reports on Form 10-Q and Form 8-K. Please refer to Amgen's most recent Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K for additional information on the uncertainties and risk factors related to our business. Unless otherwise noted, Amgen is providing this information as of Jan. 25, 2016 and expressly disclaims any duty to update information contained in this news release.

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