Biotechnology - Genomic and Proteomics/IP Profile of Biggest for-profit companies in BGP/BGP Company Profiles - Data

NIH

• Narratives: NIH open access policy (see BGP Company Profiles - Data)
• All research projects that get funding from the NIH must make their manuscripts publicly available (http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/2009/04/nih-oa-mandate-after-one-year.html)
  • possibly has had effect of increasing total use of scientific material. March 2008 (pre-NIH mandate) pub med had 550,000 articles downloaded. March 2009 (1 year after the mandate) there were 680,000
• thus far successful - people are participating
• receiving challenges from congress (Conyers)
• Other examples around the world:
  • Wellcome Trust in England,
  • Italian National Institute of Health (ISS)
• Statement of policy: “The Director of the National Institutes of Health shall require that all investigators funded by the NIH submit or have submitted for them to the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed Central an electronic version of their final, peer-reviewed manuscripts upon acceptance for publication, to be made publicly available no later than 12 months after the official date of publication: Provided, That the NIH shall implement the public access policy in a manner consistent with copyright law.” (http://publicaccess.nih.gov/policy.htm)
• Reaction
• Publishers seem to be complying, but grudgingly: Wiley-Blackwell statement on NIH policy: they will publish the articles to PubMed, but only 12 months after initial publication (http://cheeptalk.wordpress.com/2009/03/16/wiley-blackwell-policy-on-nih-open-access-mandate/)
• Association of American Publishers (AAP) is against the policy - says the government is mandating certain business models (http://openeducationnews.org/2009/04/10/nih-open-access-mandate-one-year-later/)

Amgen

Who

• 16,900 employees (2008 Corporate report)
• History of acquisition (http://www.amgen.com/about/acquisitions.html):
  • 1994 - Synergen, Inc.
  • 2000 - Kinetix Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
  • 2002 - Immunex Corporation
  • 2004 - Tularik, Inc.
  • 2006 - Abgenix, Inc.
  • 2006 - Avidia, Inc.
  • 2007 - Ilypsa, Inc.
  • 2007 - Alantos Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc.
• Subsidiaries (http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Amgen-Inc-Company-History.html):
  • Amgen Australia Pty Ltd.;
  • Amgen N.V.; Amgen Canada Inc.;
  • Amgen Greater China Ltd.;
  • Amgen GmbH (Germany);
  • Amgen S.A. (France);
  • Amgen S.p.A. (Italy);
  • Amgen K.K. (Japan);
  • Amgen B.V. (Netherlands);
  • Amgen-Biofarmaceutica (Portugal);
  • Amgen S.A. (Spain);
  • Amgen (Europe) AG (Switzerland);
  • Kirin-Amgen, Inc. (Switzerland);
  • Amgen Limited (U.K.);
  • Amgen Sales Corporation (West Indies).
• Unlike many biotech companies, has been consistently profitable. Net profit in 2006 was US$2.9Billion (http://www.pharmaceutical-business-review.com/companyprofile.asp?guid=8632C7AC-1633-4198-8551-BB79570C668D)
• Managed to turn itself from a drug research company into a pharmaceutical company while maintaining steady sales - extremely rare in the industry (http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Amgen-Inc-Company-History.html)
  • Founded in 1980. By 1986 was starting to turn a profit, but did so not through drug development but through research partnerships with established pharma firms
  • 1987, develop erythropoietin (EPO), which stimulates red blood cell creation. Sold the marketing rights to Johnson&Johnson
  • Epogen proves to hugely popular - over $250m in sales in 1991 alone
  • Between 1992 and 1996, Amgen's R&D budget goes from $182 million to $663 million

What

• ten approved drugs for 15 conditions, 23 agents are being tested earlier in the approval pipeline
  • drugs include: Epogen, Aranesp, Enbrel, Kineret, Neulasta, Neupogen, Sensipar / Mimpara and Nplate
• As a side-result of this research, also publishes in academic journals (e.g. http://en.scientificcommons.org/40666678)

Where

• Thousand Oaks, CA

Commons-Based, Peer-Production, and Open Access News

• Amgen - marketing and R&D collaborations with (Powell pp. 72): ARRIS, Envirogen, Glycomex, Guilford, Interneuron, Regeneron, and Zynaxis. these companies develop the product that Amgen later produces and markets. Perhaps there are instances of commons-like sharing here. Further investigation needed
• Seems to be engaging in some instances of open-ended research with universities. e.g., collaboration with MIT's Whitehead institute (http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Axys+-+Amgen+Collaboration+Determines+the+X-Ray+Crystal+Structure+of...-a053047665)
  • Further instances of academic collaboration here: http://www.brighamandwomens.org/Pressreleases/PressRelease.aspx?PageID=201
  • The results of some scientific collaborations are being released into the commons: http://en.scientificcommons.org/40666678
• Says its committed to sharing clinical testing results as soon as possible (http://switch.atdmt.com/action/deicrm_N53107Policy_6)

Genentech

Who

• 11,000 employees ("Genentech," Wikipedia)
• Owned by Swiss pharma company Hoffman - La Roche ("Hoffman-La Rouche," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoffmann-La_Roche)

What

• synthetic human insulin - their first famous product, many others produced using the Boyer-Cohen rDNA process
• along with data, has produced narratives: http://en.scientificcommons.org/genentech_inc

Where

• South San Francisco

Commons-Based, Peer-Production, and Open Access News

• Collaborated with Apple to create Open Source search engine for protein and DNA sequences (http://www.apple.com/ca/press/2002/02/genentech.html)
• Hoffman-La Rouche is engaging in academic collaboration to study the safety of InnoMed PredTox ("Hoffman-La Rouche," Wikipedia)
• In general, this seems to be a company that encourages its scientists to publish: http://www.gene.com/gene/research/researchvision.html
  • Selected papers: http://en.scientificcommons.org/genentech_inc
  • video of Genentechs Joe McCracken explaining incentives to publish (http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=1614)
• Has four-year post-doctoral program (http://www.gene.com/gene/research/researchvision.html)
  • Also has additional clinical trial program (http://www.gene.com/gene/pipeline/fellowship/)
• supplies reagents for other research organizations' work: http://www.gene.com/gene/reagents-program/reagents-program.jsp
• Seems committed to engaging relevant stake-holders in public policy issues. Worked with the American Academy of Opthamology and the American Society of Retina Specialists to develop guidelines and answer questions about Avastin (http://www.gene.com/gene/news/press-releases/press_statements/ps_122007.html)
• Has a separate board to advise the company on issues of scientific research (http://www.gene.com/gene/research/resourceboard/)
• company gives researchers 20% free time to work on projects of their own
• VP for business development says the organization survives through science, not marketing.
  • http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?mid=1613
• Collaboration with UC San Diego Scientists (http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/19205)
• Funding for undergraduate research programs (http://www.genentechfoundation.com/about_focus.html)
• Providing infrastructure support for UCSF (http://news.ucsf.edu/releases/new-ucsf-mission-bay-campus-countrys-largest-biomedical-university-expansio/)
• Collaboration with Rockefeller University to look at therapeutic antibody potency (http://www.scienceblog.com/community/older/2000/D/200003674.html)

Genzyme

Who

• 2007, US$2.89B operating income, $3.81B revenue ("Genzyme," Wikipedia)

What

• Cerezyme (treats Gaucher's disease) accounts for 30% of company's revenue
• Renagel, for dialysis patients
• Fabrazyme, for Fabry's disease

Where

• Cambridge

Commons-Based, Peer-Production, and Open Access News

• Developing community support groups for victims of the diseases it treats (e.g. http://www.fabrycommunity.com/global/fc_p_hp_homepage.asp)
  • Complete list of communities at: http://www.genzyme.com/home/global_sites.asp
• Has established registry for victims of Gaucher's disease (https://www.lsdregistry.net/gaucherregistry/)
• All company-sponsored clinical trials registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (http://www.genzymeclinicalresearch.com/)
• Partial catalog of researchers' publications (http://www.genzyme.com/research/patents/pat_home.asp)
• Grants for science education and health-services in local communities (http://www.genzyme.com/commitment/community/grant_application.asp)
• Building outreach into China. Will establish research center there by 2010. Will it support universities there? (http://www.genzyme.com/corp/media/GENZ%20PR-042208.asp#TopOfPage)

Gilead Sciences

Who

• 3,400 hundred employees (http://www.gilead.com/corporate_fact_sheet)
• Growth based in large part on acquisition of other companies

What

• Products for HIV/AIDS, respiratory and heart conditions, and liver disease
• Over a dozen drugs in the development pipeline, Phase I or later

Where

• Foster City, California

News

• 1990 reaches agreement with Glaxo to research and develop "antisense" -- genetic code blockers
• Goes public in 1992
• 1996 - first commercial product, Vistide, treats cytomegalovirus
• 1999 - acquires NeXstar Pharmaceuticals
• 2003 acquires Triangle Pharmaceuticals
• 2006, FDA approves Atripla for HIV-victims
• 2006 acquires Corus Pharma, Inc.
• 2006 acquires Myogen, Inc.
• 2006 acquires Raylo Chemicals, a pharma producer - is Gilead Sciences trying to become a pharma company?

Commons-Based, Peer-Production, and Open Access News

• Gilead seems to have created an HIV/AIDS Clinical Cooperation Grant (http://www.gilead-grant.de/disclaimer.html)
• publishes the results of clinical trials
• Collaboration with UCSF on HIV targets (http://today.ucsf.edu/stories/gilead-sciences-and-gladstone-to-collaborate-on-hiv-targets/)
• Project to bring HIV/AIDS drugs to third-world (http://www.gilead.com/access_developing_world)
• Foundation for bringing healthcare to under-served communities (http://www.gilead.com/Gilead_Foundation)

Biogen Idec

What

• Treatments for Multiple Sclerosis, Crohn's disease, and a treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma which is co-marketed with Genentech
• Most revenue derived from Avonex, it's MS treatment

Where

• Kendall Scquare, Cambridge
• from Wikipedia: commercial affiliates in "Germany, France, Spain/Portugal, UK/Ireland, the Benelux, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Austria"
• Research centers in San Diego and Research Triangle Park, N.C.

News

• 2003, Biogen and IDEC merge

Commons-Based, Peer-Production, and Open Access News

• Gives educational grants to med schools (http://www.biogenidec.com/site/community-relations.html)
• Sponsors "Citi Biotech Day" (http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/health-care/biogen-idec-present-th-annual-citi-biotech-day/)
• Has US$100million venture capital fund to encourage Biotech research
• Cooperated with Genentech to research and produce lymphoma treatment
• Biogen Idec Innovation Incubator (bi3) seems to be a way for Biogen to buy start-up ventures (http://www.biogenidec.com/site/biogen-idec-innovation-incubator.html)
• Student labs for high school students in Cambridge and San Diego (http://www.biogenidec.com/site/community-relations.html)

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