Amgen Inc.

My name is Erica and I will be your conference facilitator today for Amgen's third quarter 2021 financial results conference call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise. There will be a question and answer session at the conclusion of the last speaker's prepared remarks. In order to ensure that everyone has a chance to participate, we would like to request that you limit yourself to asking one question during the Q&A session. To ask a question, please press star, then the number one on your telephone keypad. To withdraw your question, press the pound key. I would now like to introduce Arvind Sood, Vice President of Investor Relations. Mr. Sood, you may now begin.

Erica, thank you. Good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to our Q3 call. I think the three key themes for this quarter are continued execution, pipeline advancement, and preparedness to launch important new products. So let's get started. The slides have been posted. Quick reminder that we'll use non-GAAP financial measures in our presentation, and some of the statements will be forward-looking statements. Our SEC filings identify factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially. So with that, I would like to turn the call over to our chairman and CEO, Bob Bradway. Bob?

Okay. Hello, everyone, and thank you for joining our call. It was another solid quarter of growth for Amgen with Total revenues rising 4%, driven by volume growth of 8%, which reflects the strong global demand for many of our innovative medicines, such as Repatha and Prolia, as well as for our high-quality biosimilars. Earnings per share for the quarter grew 11%, thanks to disciplined management of our operating expenses. Shifting to the future, as we begin to see beyond COVID-19, I believe we've set ourselves up well to deliver attractive growth over the long term. By way of example, I'll draw your attention to our immunology and oncology portfolios, where we are building on our successful track record through a combination of internally generated innovation and strategic business development, which we expect to contribute to our long-term growth. In inflammation, we're very excited about tezopelumab, a first-in-class treatment for severe asthma that we hope to launch in the U.S. next year. Given the millions of patients for whom existing asthma therapies are inadequate, we believe tezopelumab will be a significant growth driver for us for years to come. This product builds on our many years of success in inflammation, first with Enbrel and now, of course, with Otezla. We remain optimistic about the growth potential of Otezla, and as the next step, we're eagerly awaiting an expanded indication in the U.S., for mild to moderate plaque psoriasis, particularly at a time when concerns have emerged for some potential new competitors. We also continue to grow Otezla globally, with the product now available in over 40 countries, up from 32 countries when we acquired it. Looking a bit further into the future, we expect to bring Amgivita, our biosimilar to Humira, to the US in 2023. We expect to replicate the success we've had with Amgivita and many other markets around the world. We're also enthusiastic about AMG451, a Phase III-ready potential first-in-class treatment for atopic dermatitis that we're studying with our partners, Keola Kiran, as well as a number of Amgen-discovered therapies currently in Phase II for lupus and celiac disease. In oncology, We're happy with the recent launch in the U.S. of Lumicras, our first-in-class KRAS G12C inhibitor, which treats non-small-cell lung cancer, and we look forward to additional approvals and launches in major markets around the world as we roll forward. Lumicras joins a portfolio of medicines already generating some $10 billion a year in sales. Several of these medicines delivered double-digit sales growth in the third quarter, including Kaprolos, Blincyto, and Embasi. Looking ahead, we're excited about the growth potential of several other oncology assets in our pipeline. We've initiated already our first Phase III trial for Bemerituzumab, a potential first-in-class molecule to treat gastric and gastroesophageal junction cancers. We're also making good progress with several of our internally discovered solid-tumor bite molecules, including one for prostate cancer and another for small cell lung cancer. In short, we have a number of products now on the market with plenty of room to grow, more coming over the next several years from our pipeline, a compelling discovery research engine to continuously replenish that pipeline, and the wherewithal to take advantage of compelling business development opportunities as they arise. All that gives me confidence in our ability to serve more patients around the world and to deliver strong financial performance for our shareholders. One final note, I'd like to thank my Amgen colleagues for their continued commitment to patients and to our business. We were delighted to be named last week by Fortune Magazine as one of the 25 best workplaces in the world, and that's a reflection of our people and the passion and excellence they bring to their work. Dave, let me turn it over to you.