Fresenius in new deal with Amgen

Germany-headquartered Fresenius Medical Care, a world-leading renal therapy company, has entered into a new agreement with Amgen Europe for its anemia drug Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa).

Under the agreement, Fresenius will devote efforts to assist Amgen in disseminating scientific information regarding the treatment of anemia to nephrologists and other dialysis experts. Amgen and its representatives are and will remain solely responsible for the product. The new agreement runs for three years.

Patients with chronic kidney disease on and not on dialysis often suffer from complications such as anemia, which occurs when failing kidneys no longer produce sufficient erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells. Aranesp is a novel recombinant erythropoiesis stimulating protein that stimulates erythropoiesis to produce red blood cells. The drug has proven tolerability and efficacy, across all stages of chronic kidney disease, the firms say.