Immunex Corporation

Immunex Corporation was a biopharmaceutical company founded in July 1981 in Seattle, Washington by scientists Steven Gillis and Christopher Henney along with businessman Stephen Duzan. The company focused on developing therapeutic products using lymphokines and other immune system proteins for the treatment of cancer, infectious diseases, and autoimmune disorders. Its flagship products included LEUKINE (sargramostin) for bone marrow transplant patients, NOVANTRONE for multiple sclerosis, and ENBREL (etanercept), a blockbuster anti-inflammatory for rheumatoid arthritis. By 2001 Immunex was the largest biotechnology company in Washington State. Amgen acquired Immunex in July 2002 for approximately $16 billion—the largest biotech-to-biotech acquisition at the time—primarily to gain rights to Enbrel.