Arthritis Foundation Announces Amgen and Wyeth to Be Presenting Sponsor of the 2008 Arthriti...( ATLANTA Dec. 11 -- The Arthritis...),Health

ATLANTA, Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Arthritis Foundation, the leading health organization addressing the needs of 46 million Americans living with arthritis, today announced that Amgen and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, co-marketers of Enbrel (R) (etanercept), will be the national presenting sponsor of the 2008 Arthritis Walk (R).

"The Arthritis Foundation hosts hundreds of Arthritis Walk events nationwide to raise funds to prevent, control and cure arthritis, the nation's most common cause of disability," said Becky Burkett, chief development officer of the Arthritis Foundation. "This generous sponsorship from Amgen and Wyeth will provide a unique opportunity to generate awareness about arthritis while raising funds that are critical to helping find a cure for this debilitating condition."

As part of the sponsorship, the Arthritis Foundation will launch a new program in which the organization will reach out to rheumatologists and members of the Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals in an effort to help boost attendance and awareness of the Arthritis Walk by encouraging doctors and their patients to walk together.

"We're excited to have the opportunity to support a program that benefits the entire arthritis community," said Jeffrey M. Melin, M.D., M.P.H., senior director, Musculoskeletal and Inflammatory Diseases, Wyeth Research. "We encourage people with arthritis to join the Arthritis Walk together with their doctor, as well as their friends and family, and to take an active role in improving their own health, while raising awareness and funding for arthritis research."

"Arthritis can pose challenges to physical activity, but it does not have to mean the end of an active and healthy lifestyle," said Scott Baumgartner, M.D., director, Global Development, Inflammation Therapeutic Area, Amgen. "We hope that together with the Arthritis Foundation we can empower and motivate people with rheumatoid arthritis to c
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