Scientists Steven Gillis and Christopher Henney, along with businessman Stephen Duzan, founded Immunex in July 1981. They envisioned the company's mission as developing, producing, and licensing diagnostic and therapeutic immunological products. Its successful drugs included LEUKINE (sargramostin) for patients undergoing bone marrow transplants, NOVANTRONE for multiple sclerosis, and ENBREL (etanercept), an anti-inflammatory used to treat arthritis. By 2001 Immunex was the largest biotechnology company in Washington State and third largest in the world. In 2002, Amgen, a California company, acquired Immunex in the largest merger in the history of the biotech industry.
This 1997 image shows Immunex Chairman and CEO Ed Fritzky and an unidentified lab worker. After the merger with Amgen, Fritzky joined Amgen’s board of directors.
Caption information source: “Amgen completes acquisition of Immunex,” Amgen press release, July 16, 2002. https://investors.amgen.com/news-releases/news-release-details/amgen-completes-acquisition-immunex. Retrieved October 11, 2024. Caption information source: “Edward Fritzky,” University of Washington Foster School of Business, https://foster.uw.edu/centers/leadership/students/leadership-fellows/fritzky. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
