Amgen Alters Anemia Drug Discounts
August 29, 2008
Amgen is halting some pricing practices that critics say were contributing to overuse of its flagship anemia drug Aranesp at a time of mounting concerns about the product’s safety.
Amgen confirmed late Wednesday that it would no longer offer rebates to oncology clinics for their use of Aranesp, although it said it would offer larger discounts at the time of purchase.
It also said it would stop offering discounts on two other drugs, Neulasta and Neupogen, based on a doctor’s purchase of Aranesp.
Critics have said that by providing hundreds of millions of dollars in discounts and rebates each year to cancer clinics, Amgen provided an incentive for doctors to use more of the drug. (New York Times)
