Biotech pioneer Amgen Inc., in a bid for a big edge in using people’s genetic information to find better ways to attack diseases, is buying human genetics research and analytics leader deCODE Genetics for $415 million.
Amgen, the world’s largest biotech company by revenue, and deCODE, based in Reykjavik, Iceland, announced the all-cash deal Monday.
Probably its key asset – and the reason for the deal – is deCODE’s huge database of the genetic and medical information of Iceland’s population. That data can help researchers find links between genetic variations and characteristics that increase a person’s risk of getting a particular disease and also affect patients’ response to a drug.
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