Amgen Inc. will pay $24.75 million to settle claims linked to Sensipar, its hyperthyroidism drug, according to a Reuters article published Thursday. The U.S. Justice Department claimed Amgen used charities to help cover out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare patients. In a statement, Amgen said it did not agree with the Justice Department’s decision but wanted to put the matter to bed. Justice alleged Amgen used charities like the Patient Access Network Foundation and the Chronic Disease Fund to help pay out-of-pocket costs for Sensipar, who in turn encouraged patients to use the highly priced Sensipar. Amgen and Japan-based Astellas Pharma were two of the latest to settle claims that resulted from an industry-wide probe into big pharma’s financial support of patient assistance charities, the article said. Astellas is set to pay $100 million to settle its claims. Shares of Amgen (AMGN) closed Friday up 99 cents, or 0.55 percent, to $181.47 on the Nasdaq.
