Amgen Inc 's

Certain of our marketed products face — and our product candidates, if approved, are also expected to face — substantial competition. Our products’ competitive positions among other biological and pharmaceutical products may be based on, among other things, safety, efficacy, reliability, availability, patient convenience/delivery devices, price, reimbursement, timing of market entry and patent position and expirations.

Certain of the existing patents on our principal products have recently expired or will expire over the next few years, and we expect to face increasing competition thereafter, including from biosimilars. A biosimilar is another version of a biological product for which marketing approval is sought or has been obtained based on a demonstration that it is “biosimilar” to the original reference product. See Government Regulation. We may also compete against biosimilar or generic versions of our competitors’ products. In the EU, we are facing increasing competition from biosimilars. In the United States after patent expiration, we expect to face greater competition than today, including from manufacturers with biosimilars approved in Europe, which may seek to obtain U.S. approval.

Some of our products compete with each other. For example, Aranesp® and EPOGEN® compete in the United States, primarily in the dialysis setting. Neulasta® competes with NEUPOGEN®, as Neulasta® is administered as a single dose per chemotherapy cycle while NEUPOGEN® requires more frequent dosing. NEUPOGEN® sales have been adversely impacted by conversion to Neulasta®, which we believe is substantially complete.
The introduction of new products, the development of new processes or technologies by competitors or the emergence of new information about existing products may result in increased competition for our marketed products, even for those protected by patents, or in a reduction of the price that we receive from selling our products. In addition, the development of new treatment options or standards of care may reduce the use of our products or may limit the utility and application of ongoing clinical trials for our product candidates. The following table reflects our significant competitors and is not exhaustive.