Shire undercuts rivals with launch of Dynepo drug

LONDON, March 15 (Reuters) - Shire Plc (SHP.L) announced the long-delayed launch of its anaemia medicine Dynepo in Germany on Thursday, pricing it at a 30 percent discount to rival EPO products.

The British group said the German move was the initial step of a launch programme planned for Europe over the coming months. Shire acquired Dynepo when it bought biotech firm Transkaryotic Therapies in 2005.

Dynepo is the first "fully human" erythropoietin (EPO), produced in human cell lines rather than animal ones.

Rival EPO drugs already available in Germany, all at the same reference price, are Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ.N) Erypo/Eprex, Amgen Inc's (AMGN.O) Aranesp and Roche Holding AG's (ROG.VX) NeoRecormon.

Dynepo was approved for treating anaemia in patients with chronic kidney disease in Europe in 2002 but its launch has been delayed, following patent disputes with Amgen.