Amgen Has 2nd Profitable Quarter Since Its Founding

Amgen, a Thousand Oaks biotechnology company, reported earnings of $85,000, or 1 cent a share, on sales of $5.6 million for its third quarter ended Dec. 31. It was the second profitable quarter for Amgen since it was founded in 1980.

During the corresponding quarter in 1984, Amgen lost $1.9 million, or 18 cents a share, on sales of $2.3 million. For the nine-month period ended Dec. 31, Amgen’s profits totaled $343,000, or 3 cents a share, on sales of $16.5 million. During the same period a year earlier, the company lost $6 million, or 56 cents a share, on sales of $6.8 million.

Amgen is one of several genetic engineering companies making an experimental substance, interleukin-2, considered a potential breakthrough in the treatment of cancer.