1980
A small group of venture capitalists, led by Bill Bowes, establishes AMGen (Applied Molecular Genetics Inc.), headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California, on April 8

George B. Rathmann named president and chief executive officer

1981
Amgen raises $19.4 million in venture capital—enough to hire a team of scientists

1982
Gordon M. Binder joins Amgen as chief financial officer

1983
Fu-Kuen Lin clones the human erythropoietin gene and subsequently produces the first human erythropoietin product, later patented and named EPOGEN® (Epoetin alfa)

Initial public offering of 2,350,000 shares results in nearly $40 million raised; NASDAQ ticker symbol: AMGN

1984
Kirin Brewery Company and Amgen form a joint venture, Kirin-Amgen Inc., for the worldwide commercialization of erythropoietin

1985
A team led by Larry Souza clones granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), later patented and named NEUPOGEN® (Filgrastim)