Amgen to appeal rejection of bid to block Novartis biosimilar drug

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amgen Inc will appeal the rejection of its bid to block the sale of Novartis AG's biosimilar form of Neupogen, Amgen's blockbuster drug used to prevent infections in cancer patients, according to a court filing on Wednesday. The drug, Zarxio, contains the same active ingredient as Amgen's $1.2 billion-a-year Neupogen, and once launched, would become the first biosimilar in the United States. A federal judge in San Francisco denied Amgen's bid for an injunction last week. (Reporting by Dan Levine; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)