Also. . .

* Thousand Oaks-based Amgen Inc. has passed a major hurdle in its bid to sell an anemia drug in the lucrative European Union market. The European Committee on Proprietary Medicinal Products has recommended approving sales of Aranesp to treat anemia in people with chronic kidney disease, Amgen said. The recommendation goes to the European Commission, which will decide whether to grant Amgen a license to market the drug throughout the EU. Shares of Amgen rose $1.56 to close at $63.94 on Nasdaq.

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* Glendale-based Public Storage Inc., the largest owner of self-storage properties in the U.S., said it bought an insurance company owned by its chairman for about $31.7 million in stock. Public Storage will acquire PS Insurance Co. from B. Wayne Hughes for 1.24 million common shares, the company said. PS Insurance already has 301,032 shares of Public Storage that it will continue to own.