Amgen Reaches $71 Million Settlement With States Related to Promotion of Aranesp, Enbrel
August 18 2015 - 2:25PM
Dow Jones News
By Tess Stynes
Amgen Inc. reached a $71 million settlement with 48 states
related to allegations that the biotechnology company made
unsubstantiated marketing claims about blockbuster drugs Aranesp
and Enbrel, according to several state attorneys general.
In a statement on Tuesday, Amgen said the settlement with the
states resolves some of the same issues addressed in Amgen's
December 2012 settlement with the federal government related to the
company's marketing practices.
The 2012 settlement resolved criminal and civil liability claims
related to marketing for Aranesp and Enbrel. Under the roughly $150
million settlement Amgen pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor count of
misbranding relating to Aransep.
The $71 million settlement announced Tuesday covers a total of
48 states and the District of Columbia.
The allegations included accusations that Amgen promoted Aranesp
for dosing frequencies beyond the levels approved by the Food and
Drug Administration, promoted Aranesp for anemia caused by cancer
without FDA approval and promoted Enbrel for mild plaque psoriasis
though it had FDA approval to treat only moderate to severe cases
of the disease.
The states also had alleged that Amgen had lobbied for Aranesp
to be included in a drug compendium recognized by the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid to receive reimbursements from insurers and
the federal government.
As part of the settlement with the states, Amgen didn't admit
any wrongdoing or liability.
In its statement, Amgen said it is pleased to have the matter
resolved and added that it has a strong compliance program.
Write to Tess Stynes at tess.stynes@wsj.com
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 18, 2015 14:10 ET (18:10 GMT)
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