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Amgen's Kevin Sharer Joins Healthcare Venture Capital Firm

Is Amgen the next source of the healthcare industry's venture capital deals? It might be, on news that Kevin Sharer, the former CEO of Thousand Oaks-based Amgen, has joined venture capital investment firm Foundation Medical Partners. According to CT-based Foundation Medical Partners, Sharer has joined the company as a Partner, and will help assess and manage investments in the connected health and healthcare IT sectors. Sharer had been Chairman and CEO from 2000 through 2012, and has been President and COO from 1992 to 2000. It's unclear how much Sharer's new role at a VC will help the local biotech industry; for many years, under Sharer's stint as CEO, Amgen had a reputation of being somewhat unfriendly to spinouts from the company; and, despite a dedicated venture capital arm, Amgen Ventures, the firm has not invested in any local startups.