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Article: A `Wonder Drug' Held Hostage; Dispute Between Amgen, Ortho Delays Patient Access to EPO
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- May 11, 1989
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Six weeks ago, federal approval of EPO-the blockbuster new drug
created through biotechnology to treat everything from kidney disease
to AIDS-appeared imminent.
Food and Drug Administration officials told Amgen Inc., the
California biotech company that developed the drug erythropoietin,
that all outstanding technical questions surrounding EPO had been
answered.
A final decision, analysts said at the time, would be made within
days, followed by worldwide sales that could top $1 billion by the
early 1990s.
But those days have turned into weeks, and most predictions
about the arrival of EPO now talk in terms of June or even late fall.
In an unexpected turn of events that has cost Amgen a ...