National Pharmaceutical Council Welcomes Amgen as Its Newest Member

Contact:  Andrea Hofelich, ahofelich@npcnow.org, 202-827-2078

Washington, D.C. (January 16, 2013)—The National Pharmaceutical Council (NPC) today welcomed biotechnology pioneer Amgen as its newest member. Joshua Ofman, M.D., M.S.H.S., the senior vice president of Global Value, Access and Policy, will serve as Amgen’s representative on the NPC board of directors.

“We are very excited to have Amgen and Dr. Ofman join NPC. We’re especially looking forward to benefitting from Dr. Ofman’s expertise as a physician and expert in health economics, health policy and access issues globally,” said NPC President Dan Leonard. “These are all areas that will continue to be an important focus of NPC’s research.”

Amgen discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers innovative human therapeutics. Amgen was one of the first companies to realize biotechnology’s promise by bringing safe, effective medicines from lab to manufacturing plant to patient. Amgen therapeutics have changed the practice of medicine, helping millions of people around the world in the fight against cancer, kidney disease, rheumatoid arthritis, bone disease and other serious illnesses. With a deep and broad pipeline of potential new medicines, Amgen remains committed to advancing science to dramatically improve people's lives.

“Although science has made great strides in developing new treatments for patients, it is important that we have effective health care policy to help drive and sustain innovation,” said Dr. Ofman. “NPC’s focus on policy research related to pharmaceutical innovation, comparative effectiveness and the value of medicines is helping to move the conversation about these critical health issues forward. Amgen is pleased to join with NPC in advancing that dialogue.”

In becoming an NPC member, Amgen joins with other leading research-based pharmaceutical companies, including AbbVie, Allergan, Astra Zeneca, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Daiichi Sankyo, Eisai, Genentech, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Pfizer Inc, Sanofi, Shire, and Teva Neuroscience.

About the National Pharmaceutical Council:

The National Pharmaceutical Council is a health policy research organization dedicated to the advancement of good evidence and science, and to fostering an environment in the United States that supports medical innovation. Founded in 1953 and supported by the nation’s major research-based pharmaceutical companies, NPC focuses on research development, information dissemination, and education on the critical issues of evidence, innovation and the value of medicines for patients. For more information, visit www.npcnow.org and follow NPC on Twitter @npcnow.

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