Thousand Oaks biotech company Amgen Inc. has agreed to pay $71 million to settle allegations by 48 state attorneys general that it improperly marketed two of its drugs.
The states alleged that Amgen violated consumer protection laws by promoting the use of its anemia drug Aranesp for longer periods than the Food and Drug Administration had approved and by encouraging its use to treat anemia caused by cancer without FDA approval.
In addition, Amgen was accused of promoting its drug Enbrel as a treatment for mild plaque psoriasis even though it was only approved for severe plaque psoriasis, and for overstating the length of time that Enbrel effectively treats the disease.