HEALTH CARE

Amgen Receives U.S. Patent for EPO: The 17-year patent protects Amgen Inc. from potential competitors that would make or import erythropoietin for sale in the United States. The patent tightens the Thousand Oaks biotechnology giant’s lock on the domestic market for the blockbuster anemia-fighting drug, which it sells under the brand name Epogen. Sales of EPO, which is taken by kidney dialysis patients, are expected to reach $1 billion next year. The announcement follows Amgen’s successful legal battle against rival Genetics Institute, which had also claimed patent rights for EPO. Amgen also announced that Denmark’s Novo Nordisk has agreed to license to Amgen and its joint-venture partner, Kirin Pharmaceutical, rights to a protein hormone that stimulates production of blood platelets. Amgen said acquisition of the rights to thrombopoietin, for undisclosed terms, complements the platelet growth factor it is developing with Kirin.