Amgen, Personalized Medicine, and the Future of the Pharmaceutical Industry

On the morning of the first day of the Annual Personalized Medicine Conference on November 13, Amgen Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer David Reese, M.D., will join Clifton Leaf, former Editor-in-Chief of Fortune magazine, to discuss the future of the company and personalized medicine.

The conversation will explore how Amgen, one of the pharmaceutical industry’s foremost leaders in personalized medicine, is navigating its business through a pivotal moment in the history of biomedical innovation.

Amgen has leaned into the development of genetically targeted therapies for nearly two decades, most recently through the development of LUMAKRAS (sotorasib) for the treatment of adult patients with KRAS G12C-mutated locally advanced or metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. Because the molecular surfaces of RAS proteins offer no obvious pockets to target with a drug, it once seemed that the scientific frontiers of personalized medicine would never extend to cancers characterized by mutated KRAS genes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of LUMAKRAS in May 2021 demonstrates how new developments in personalized medicine are redefining the boundaries of cancer care.

But continued progress cannot be taken for granted. Economic and political environments are shifting. Many patients are struggling to gain access to the tests and treatments underpinning personalized medicine. And the federal government is rearranging the landscape for decisions about research and development.

Thus, the conference stage is set for Dr. Reese, who will envision the future of personalized medicine and the pharmaceutical industry with attention to the scientific and business challenges associated with developing and commercializing targeted therapeutics.