CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pennsylvania, September 17 /PRNewswire/ --

Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals, LLC announced today that it has signed a definitive license agreement with Amgen Inc. to expand its commercial rights to the hepatitis C drug Infergen. Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals will obtain commercial rights to Infergen in all markets except Japan. In addition, Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals will obtain commercial rights to China effective March 31, 2009. Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals currently has commercial rights to Infergen in the United States and Canada.

"The expansion of commercial rights to Infergen compliments Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals strategy to continue to grow its hepatitis C franchise," stated Patrick Kerrish RPh., MBA Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals' Executive Vice President of Business Development.

Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals will seek marketing partners to assist with the commercialization of Infergen outside of the United States. Interested marketing partners should contact Patrick Kerrish at pkerrish@3riverspharma.com .

Infergen, or consensus interferon, is a unique, bio-optimized, selective and highly potent type 1 interferon alpha originally developed by Amgen and launched in the United States in 1997. Infergen is indicated for the treatment of chronic HCV infection in patients 18 years of age or older with compensated liver disease who have anti-HCV serum antibodies and /or the presence of HCV RNA.

Important Safety Information

Physicians and patients can obtain additional prescribing information regarding Infergen, including the product's safety profile and the box warning for all interferon alphas regarding neuropsychiatric, autoimmune, ischemic and infectious disorders, by visiting www.infergen.com .

About Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals

Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals is a privately held company headquartered in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania that focuses on specialized therapies including hepatitis C therapies. With its unique experience and understanding of the complex challenges of treating chronic, difficult diseases, Three Rivers is a valuable partner in the healthcare community.

The company's mission is to develop, manufacture, and market the highest quality branded and generic drug products for patients with serious diseases. Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals focuses on the specialized therapies because of its extensive knowledge and experience in this area. More information about the company can be found at www.3riverspharma.com .

Web site: http://www.3riverspharma.com http://www.infergen.com

Patrick Kerrish of Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals, +1-724-778-6013, pkerrish@3riverspharma.com