发信人: solmn (wukong), 信区: Biology
标 题: Scientists who pioneered arthritis drug
发信站: Unknown Space (Thu Aug 21 01:18:02 2003) WWW-POST

The scientific duo of Ray Goodwin and Craig Smith, who made early
breakthroughs that led to the creation of the arthritis drug Enbrel, has been
split up. Both quietly resigned in the past few weeks, a year after biotech
giant Amgen bought Seattle-based Immunex.
Goodwin and Smith, both 52, said they stayed this long to receive one-year
retention bonuses from Amgen and left with no fanfare other than a beer or two
with close colleagues.

The departures were not a shock — they are the latest in a string of
resignations — but they are jolting. The two men received a litany of awards
and recently were hailed by Forbes magazine as among the pharmaceutical
industry's "Medical Merlins."

Each gave different reasons for leaving in separate interviews with The
Seattle Times, but both say they intend to stay in Seattle.

Goodwin, who was known for being low-key and humble, resigned in late July. He
was circumspect, saying Amgen was "a lot bigger." He said he has no firm plans
but doesn't expect to continue in the biotechnology industry or academia
because he's financially able to retire.

Goodwin downplayed the significance of his exit.

"One scientist isn't all that critical," he said. "Amgen will go on. It's
really not that big a deal. It takes a lot of little pieces to make it go, and
they have a lot more left."

Smith, openly passionate and talkative, quit Tuesday. He will consider joining
a research institute or founding a biotech startup, as chief executive or
chief scientist.

"There are new frontiers I want to explore, and the only way I can do it is by
going off on my own," he said.

Smith said he didn't want to criticize Amgen but that it can be difficult in a
big organization to move quickly on ideas. Although many talented former
Immunex scientists have left, Amgen will continue to do well, Smith said.

Amgen would not confirm the two departures or those of anyone else, citing
employee privacy. Many former Immunex employees have complained that the two
cultures were different — Amgen's disciplined ways clashing with Immunex's
more freewheeling, creative culture.




Jim Thomas, an Immunex holdover and now senior director of process development
in Seattle, said Amgen has retained more scientists than first expected.
Morale is better, he said, because many in Seattle can see the company
following through on commitments, such as the $650 million Helix Project, a
research and development campus along Elliott Bay.

"You hate to say it, but we're all dispensable," Thomas said. "A few
individuals will not make a difference in our ability to get work done. We
have a lot of good people and a lot of depth."

Goodwin was recruited to Immunex in 1986; Smith, in 1988. Both are molecular
biologists who quickly went to work on tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a protein.
When too much TNF is produced in the body, they thought, it might cause
inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

By using genetic-engineering techniques, they discovered a way to inject
molecules of a substance into the bloodstream to soak up excess TNF. By 1989,
after 3½ months of work, they did it.

The molecule failed in its first human tests to treat sepsis, but Immunex
tried it in rheumatoid arthritis.

In 1998, the drug, Enbrel, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
Patients willingly paid $1,000 a month for it, and it had $652 million in
sales in its second full year. Immunex's stock value soared to heights that
briefly eclipsed Boeing's.

Immunex couldn't make enough of the drug to meet demand, though. By December
2001, it agreed to be taken over by Amgen, the world's leading maker of
biotech drugs.

Amgen paid $10 billion for Immunex. It projects Enbrel will bring in $3
billion a year by 2005.

While Enbrel was going through clinical trials, the pair worked on other TNF
proteins, including some they hoped could be used to combat cancer.

"I guess we've accomplished some stuff, but I wanted to cure cancer,"


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※ 来源:．Unknown Space mitbbs.com．[FROM: 66.52.]