Did you know that an Immunex employee once ended up swimming with the otters at the Seattle Aquarium during a company holiday party? Or that Immunex executives once mocked an uptight Big Pharma partner from Wayne, NJ by producing a video spoof on “Wayne’s World,” the comedy sketch from Saturday Night Live?
Yes, these are the same goofballs who created a $7 billion-a-year drug for autoimmune diseases and established Seattle as one of the top handful of biotech hubs in the world.
I’ve been digging up a lot of fun stories from Immunoids to prepare for the next big Xconomy Seattle event, “The Immunex Impact” on Dec. 1. We have more than 150 people registered from all over the biotech community—both Immunex alumni and non-alumni—for what will be a truly special event.
As we get ready for the big event, I thought it would be fun to put together a little trivia quiz. If you’d like to participate, just send your answers to [email protected] with “Immunex Trivia Quiz” in the subject line, and your answers in the body of the email. I’ll plan to announce the winner in person at “The Immunex Impact” and will hand over a surprise piece of Immunex memorabilia as the prize.
Have fun!
1. What was Immunex’s all-time high stock price, adjusted for splits? Hint: It came in March 2000.
A. $83.60
B. $77.32
C. $111.81
D. $167.47
2. What year did Immunex win FDA approval for Enbrel?
A. 1996
B. 1998
C. 1999
D. 2000
3. Who were the so-called “Three Amigos” on the early Immunex executive team?
A. Steve Gillis, Chris Henney, Steve Duzan
B. Ed Fritzky, Peggy Phillips, Doug Williams
C. Steve Gillis, Michael Kranda, Alan Frazier
4. How much did Enbrel sell in its first full year on the U.S. market?
A. $150 million
B. $258 million
C. $632 million
D. $367 million
5. In 1995, American Home Products made a hostile takeover bid for Immunex when the stock price was at $12 a share. What did AHP (later called Wyeth) offer?
A. $14
B. $16.50
C. $19
D. $17
6. What did Ed Fritzky famously do with his Porsche while getting an update about how the Enbrel team performed at an FDA advisory committee?
A. Got into a fender-bender
B. Drove off with a gas station nozzle stuck in his tank
C. Blared the horn loud enough to alert nearby police
D. Got a speeding ticket
7. True or False: Immunex researchers once collected urine in company bathrooms for scientific purposes
A. True
B. False
8. Which of the following nicknames were occasionally used to refer to Immunex?
A. Immunex University
B. The Lazy I
C. Cytokines R’Us
D. All of the above
9. How many employees did Immunex have in Washington state at the time of the Amgen acquisition agreement in December 2001?
A. 1,200
