| Company: | Amgen Inc. |
| Ticker Symbol: | NASD: AMGN |
| Class Period: | May 4, 2005 to March 9, 2007 |
| Date Filed: | Apr-17-07 |
| Lead Plaintiff Deadline: | Jun-16-07 |
| Court: | Central District, CA |
| Allegations: |
A securities class action lawsuit has been commenced in the United States District Court for the Central District of California on behalf of purchasers of Amgen Inc. ("Amgen") (Nasdaq:AMGN) publicly traded securities during the period between May 4, 2005 and March 9, 2007 (the "Class Period").
The complaint charges Amgen and certain of its officers and directors with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Amgen, the largest biotechnology company in the world, makes and sells Epogen and Aranesp, erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, a type of drug which encourages the creation of oxygen carrying red blood cells.
The complaint alleges that during the Class Period, defendants marketed Aranesp and Epogen to doctors for off-label uses. As a result, Amgen sold several hundred million dollars worth of drugs each year for these off-label uses. In October 2006, a group of researchers halted a clinical study of head and neck cancer patients treated with Aranesp because more deaths occurred in patients taking Aranesp than in those taking a placebo. Defendants did not disclose these results to investors. On February 16, 2007, a publication called The Cancer Letter published an article about the results of the study and on March 9, 2007, the FDA mandated a "black box" warning regarding the off-label use of Aranesp and Epogen. These revelations caused Amgen's stock price to decline.
If you acquired the securities of the defendants during the Class Period you may, no later than the Lead Plaintiff Deadline shown above, request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff through counsel of your choice. You may also choose to remain an absent class member. A lead plaintiff must meet certain requirements.
The complaint charges Amgen and certain of its officers and directors with violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Amgen, the largest biotechnology company in the world, makes and sells Epogen and Aranesp, erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, a type of drug which encourages the creation of oxygen carrying red blood cells.
The complaint alleges that during the Class Period, defendants marketed Aranesp and Epogen to doctors for off-label uses. As a result, Amgen sold several hundred million dollars worth of drugs each year for these off-label uses. In October 2006, a group of researchers halted a clinical study of head and neck cancer patients treated with Aranesp because more deaths occurred in patients taking Aranesp than in those taking a placebo. Defendants did not disclose these results to investors. On February 16, 2007, a publication called The Cancer Letter published an article about the results of the study and on March 9, 2007, the FDA mandated a "black box" warning regarding the off-label use of Aranesp and Epogen. These revelations caused Amgen's stock price to decline.
If you acquired the securities of the defendants during the Class Period you may, no later than the Lead Plaintiff Deadline shown above, request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff through counsel of your choice. You may also choose to remain an absent class member. A lead plaintiff must meet certain requirements.
