SEATTLE — June 22, 2005 — The Fred Hutchinson Business Alliance today announced that the 2005 E. Donnall Thomas Medal of Achievement will go to Amgen, the world's largest biotechnology company.
Roger M. Perlmutter, Amgen's executive vice president of Research and Development, will accept the Thomas Medal June 25 at the Fred Hutchinson Business Alliance Dinner to be held at the Washington State Convention & Trade Center in Seattle. The 10th annual dinner celebrates the successful culmination of the corporate fund-raising campaign and the generosity of the business community. Since its inception in 1995, the Business Alliance has raised more than $11 million to support cancer research at the Hutchinson Center.
"Amgen has made a name for itself not only as a biotechnology pioneer, but as an exceptional corporate citizen in many communities, including Seattle," said John Fluke, chair of the Fred Hutchinson Business Alliance. "Through its Amgen Foundation, the company focuses its resources toward advancing science education, improving quality of care and access for patients, and supporting resources that create sound communities," he said.
The Thomas Medal of Achievement is named after E. Donnall Thomas, M.D., a founding member of the Hutchinson Center who in 1990 received the Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his pioneering achievements in bone-marrow transplantation, which have saved thousands of lives.
Amgen discovers, develops and delivers innovative medicines to help people fight serious illness. With a mission to serve patients, Amgen translates the promise of science into therapies that have the power to treat serious illnesses.
Founded in 1980, Amgen, a pioneer in the development of therapies based on advances in recombinant DNA and molecular biology, launched the biotechnology industry's first blockbuster medicines. Today, Amgen is a Fortune 500 company with headquarters in Southern California and more than 14,000 staff members worldwide.
Amgen's Helix Campus in Seattle is the largest commercial biotechnology facility in the Northwest and an important research hub for the company. Helix houses the majority of the company's more than 900 Washington-based staff, including researchers, process-development scientists and support staff. Amgen's entry into the Seattle area has enabled it to tap into one of the most vital regions in the nation for quality talent and biomedical expertise.
Amgen gives millions of dollars in donations to local research firms, universities and charitable organizations. Individual staff members also devote thousands of hours of personal time to programs and services that can make a meaningful difference in people's lives.
One of the most important vehicles for Amgen's corporate philanthropy is the Amgen Foundation. Since its founding in 1991, the Amgen Foundation has contributed more than $53 million to regional and national nonprofit organizations. The Amgen Foundation also matches staff contributions dollar-for-dollar to qualified nonprofits.
Since its inception in 1995, the Fred Hutchinson Business Alliance has built upon a tradition of collaboration between local and regional business leaders and the Hutchinson Center. The Alliance's leadership helps the Hutchinson Center reach beyond its immediate support network by creating connections between the Center and business communities throughout the Northwest and the world.
The Thomas Medal honors those who have dedicated their lives to excellence. It is presented each year to a local business or leader distinguished by the kind of inspirational vision, dedication and leadership for which E. Donnall Thomas, M.D., is renowned. Thomas, the Hutchinson Center's emeritus director of Clinical Research, won the 1990 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine for his pioneering work in bone-marrow transplantation.
| 2005 | Amgen |
| 2004 | SaltChuk Resources Inc. |
| 2003 | Herb and Shirley Bridge |
| 2002 | Kerry Killinger |
| 2001 | Dan and Nancy Evans |
| 2000 | H. Jon Runstad and Judith M. Runstad |
| 1999 | Samuel N. Stroum |
| 1998 | William H. Gates |
| 1997 | George and Jane Russell |
| 1996 | Frank Shrontz |
Media Contact
Kit Herrod
(206) 667-5543
kherrod@fhcrc.org
# # #
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
At Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, our interdisciplinary teams of world-renowned scientists and humanitarians work together to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS and other diseases. Our researchers, including three Nobel laureates, bring a relentless pursuit and passion for health, knowledge and hope to their work and to the world. For more information, please visit www.fhcrc.org.
For the Media