Amgen, the state's largest private biotechnology employer, said Tuesday it's adding 150 jobs in Seattle this year as part of a broad investment across several parts of its business.

The increase would more than erase cuts during the past 12 months at local publicly traded biotechs, including 26 positions eliminated Tuesday at Targeted Genetics.

Based in Thousand Oaks, Calif., the world's largest biotech company said it will boost research and development at several sites, including San Francisco, Cambridge, Mass., and Cambridge, England.

"These are the perfect places to expand because you can tap into diverse talent at each of these sites," said Seattle-based Amgen spokeswoman Carol Pawlak. "Here in Washington, we're very excited that we're participating in Amgen's growth."

The news couldn't have come at a better time for Jack Faris, head of the industry's state trade group, who was lobbying in Olympia on Tuesday. He called Amgen "an anchor to build on for the indefinite future."

Amgen's expansion will include 1,000 new research positions globally. For Seattle to be included alongside top-tier U.S. biotech hubs Boston and San Francisco in Amgen's growth can only raise the city's stature in the industry, he said.

"It's very good company to be part of," Faris said.

A robust Amgen helps smaller biotech companies attract talent here as well.

"It's a great vote of confidence in Seattle and will help our recruiting efforts for startups," said Bob Nelsen, managing director and co-founder of Arch Venture Partners, a funder of early-stage biotech companies. "People always want to see the area has momentum and that there are alternatives for their careers if they move to a new region."

Amgen employs 950 in the state, with just over 200 at its Bothell site. The rest are at the Helix site, a 40-acre campus on Elliott Bay meant to inspire scientists. Globally, the company employs 16,500.

Last year, 17 public biotechs in the Seattle area lost a net 98 jobs, mainly on major cuts at Cell Therapeutics and the acquisitions of Corixa and Xcyte. Amgen added 86 positions here in 2005.

In Seattle, Amgen will mainly hire scientists to do additional research on diseases already under investigation at the Helix campus.

"The primary focus of Amgen research in Seattle is inflammation and oncology," Pawlak said.

Immunex, acquired by Amgen in 2002, built the state's most successful home-grown biotech company on Enbrel, a therapy for inflammatory disease rheumatoid arthritis.

For the company, Pawlak said, "This is the single greatest expansion in research and development since Amgen was founded in 1980. ... What's driving this is our robust pipeline."

She said the company has nearly 50 molecules in development.

Some Amgen investors worry that the company's next batch of product candidates is still far from reaching the market and that revenues will lull.

"The rule of thumb is you're lucky if you get 10 percent (of products in development) to go to market," said Steve Silverman, a longtime shareholder in Redmond.

Silverman said he expects Amgen's expenses to rise as a result of the expansion, but added, "No one's commenting that they're blowing their money out the door."

As originally conceived by Immunex, the campus had a capacity of up to 2,400 staff, if it were fully developed. Pawlak said that estimate was based on Immunex using the campus as its headquarters, while Amgen only has research and development.

The company is analyzing whether the new jobs will require additional construction at the Helix campus, she said.

Other plans announced by the company include a new $1 billion manufacturing plant in Cork, Ireland, to serve the company's European markets; a new R&D center in Uxbridge, England; relocation of Amgen's European headquarters to Zug, Switzerland; and a new entity, Amgen International, to improve access to its products for patients in the developing world.

The news barely moved Amgen shares, which closed at $74.90, up 4 cents Tuesday. Amgen will present its fourth quarter and full 2005 financial results Thursday before the markets open, which is atypical for the company.

Targeted Genetics lays off 26

Targeted Genetics let go 26 employees Tuesday, more than a quarter of its work force, in a cost-cutting move and to speed development of its lead product candidate.

"We felt it was prudent and appropriate to cut our other costs that were less pertinent to that primary goal," said H. Stewart Parker, president and CEO.

The company, focused on gene therapy, will continue early human studies of its inflammatory arthritis treatment, tgAAC94, as well as other programs.

It expects to reduce its annual expenses between $5 million and $7 million — 20 percent to 25 percent — from the 2005 level.

Benjamin J. Romano: bromano@seattletimes.com

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