TECHNOLOGY - May 14, 1992

Biotechnology Patent Dispute Settled: Amgen Inc. in Thousand Oaks said it resolved a patent dispute with Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. over rights to a new infection-fighting drug for cancer patients. Under the agreement, Chugai dropped its two existing U.S. patents on the biotechnology-derived drug and, in the event it secures any U.S. patents in the future, granted Amgen royalty-free licenses to sell the drug in North America. The companies also agreed not to sue each other over patent rights in Japan, Europe, Australia and certain other nations. The drug--granulocyte-colony stimulating factor--has been sold by Amgen under the brand name Neupogen since February, 1991.