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Staff at the genetic research company deCODE will reportedly keep their jobs following its acquisition by California-based biotechnology group Amgen yesterday. CEO of Amgen told RÚV that the company also planned to hire more staff in Iceland.
Founder and CEO of deCODE Genetics Kári Stefánsson will also keep his position and be appointed vice-president of research at the U.S. company but told Fréttablaðið that: “I am however no spring-chicken anymore and don’t know much longer I will continue on.”
The company was sold for ISK 52 billion (USD 415 million, EUR 317 million), a decision unanimously approved by the Amgen board of directors. Under the agreement, deCODE becomes a subsidiary of Amgen.
The sale is expected to close before the end of the year. Kári said the deal would enable the company’s research to translate into therapies for patients. “We believe Amgen’s focus and ability to incorporate our genetic research into their research and development efforts will translate our discoveries into meaningful therapies for patients,” he said.
Kári said that what Amgen had essentially purchased “nothing more than our capability, skill and experience to make discoveries.”
DeCODE was founded in Reykjavík in 1996 and is considered a global leader in analyzing and understanding the link between the genome and disease susceptibility.
The company has discovered genetic risk factors for various diseases including cardiovascular disease and cancer.
DeCODE has 130 staff members in Iceland.
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Click here to learn about our custom made photo book Iceland 2012 with the best pictures of the year.
Iceland’s northernmost island is no longer one island. In a recent surveillance excursion to the Kolbeinsey, the Icelandic Coast Guard discovered that the island is now divided in two.
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Iceland is among the top five OECD-countries where immigrants help to boost the economy and increase nation-wide production by approximately 1 percent, according to a new report from the OECD.
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Neither Prime Minister of Iceland Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson nor Minister of the Interior Hanna Birna Kristjánsdóttir have responded to Edward Snowden’s request for a political asylum in Iceland, as spokesperson for Wikileaks Kristinn Hrafnsson wrote in a letter published in Fréttablaðið today.
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The first fin whale to be hunted in Iceland this season was killed by the crew of whaling vessel Hvalur 8 yesterday evening. The vessel, which set out yesterday along with Hvalur 9, is expected to unload the catch today.
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The 2013 June-July issue of Iceland Review is out. Themed ‘We Are Young’ the magazine celebrates the arrival of summer by interviewing young energetic Icelanders who excel in art, sports, business and politics—and Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, the youngest PM in the republic’s history and the world’s youngest ruling state leader. Click here to take a look at a selection of the current issue and here to subscribe to the magazine.
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The road to Höfn, a 1,690-person harbor town by the fjord Hornafjörður, is lined with reindeer. Whole herds of the wild horned animals rest peacefully on withered pastures, grace next to sheep and horses and bounce along the road. Soon, Vatnajökull, Europe’s largest glacier and the region’s biggest attraction, comes into view. Looming over Höfn, its outlet glaciers flow down from the mountains on which the bright white icecap rests.
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Sin Fang will celebrate the release of his third album with a release concert in Iðnó on June 12. Flowers was released in February by Morr Music and has been well received by music enthusiasts and critics alike. The concert will be supported by Vök, this year’s winners of the Icelandic Music Experiments.
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