PTO issues Enbrel patent

Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) said the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent covering the fusion protein that constitutes autoimmune drug Enbrel etanercept. The patent, which expires in 2028, describes the non-soluble proteins and soluble or insoluble fragments thereof that bind tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Amgen markets Enbrel in the U.S. and Canada with Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE), while Pfizer has rights elsewhere. Amgen has rights to the patent from Roche (SIX:ROG; OTCQX:RHHBY).

Enbrel, a recombinant p75 TNF receptor linked to the Fc portion of human IgG1 (TNFr:Fc), recorded $2.6 billion in U.S. sales for the first nine months of 2011. Amgen was off $0.72 to $54.94 on Wednesday. ...