Amgen has received the “Best Biotechnology Pipeline” ranking from R&D Directions in its January 2011 issue. The ranking is part of the magazine’s annual review of the top 10 therapeutic pipelines in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. 

Amgen has more than tripled the size of its pipeline since 2001 noted R&D Directions writer Michael Christel, in an article accompanying the rankings. Amgen was recognized for last year’s denosumab product approvals and for continuing the momentum of our work in oncology, hematology, and inflammation, and “a broadened pipeline in such areas as cardiovascular disease and neuroscience.”

Sean Harper, M.D., senior vice president of global development and corporate chief medical officer is quoted in the article, discussing Amgen’s rationale behind increasing R&D investment. “We feel that the pipeline we have in place right now warrants that kind of investment, and we intend to continue to invest very heavily in R&D. We recognize that that’s swimming against this tide of feeling that we should ratchet down R&D investment, given that the return on that investment in a broad sense across the industry has been falling.”

Only the recipient of the yearly “Best” ranking in each category is listed in R&D Directions. Other “Best” rankings went to Novartis for “Best Vaccines Pipeline” and Merck for “Best Cardiovascular Disease Pipeline,” among others.