Amgen hails ‘solid’ start to the year in Q1 2011

Amgen has expressed satisfaction with the year-on-year growth it has exhibited during the first quarter of 2011.

The company's total revenue figure for the three-month period came to $3.7 billion (2.23 billion pounds), which represented an increase of three percent compared to Q1 2010.

Among the products to see sales increases compared to last year were Neulasta, Neupogen, Enbrel and Sensipar, while encouraging signs of momentum were observed for both Prolia and Xgeva.

Kevin Sharer, chairman and chief executive officer of the company, described the company's first quarter performance as being indicative of "solid revenue growth".

He added that the firm's operating costs are currently elevated, as it continues to invest in new launches for Prolia and Xgeva, as well as the transition of various clinical development programmes to phase III.

Last month, the company published data from a new study of Prolia, demonstrating the high levels of therapy adherence it delivers among osteoporosis patients.