Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Amgen - whistleblowing reps are Big Pharma's worst nightmare

First one former sales representative, then another from drugmaker Amgen Inc. claimed they were fired or forced out for refusing to go along with unethical, even illegal practices to boost sales of the pricey drug Enbrel among psoriasis patients.

Now two federal agencies and four state attorneys general are investigating the practices of the company, according to the sales reps' New Jersey lawyer, who said memos and other material show that the health of some patients likely was jeopardized.

Amgen's sales force was pushed to encourage dermatologists to switch psoriasis patients from other treatments to Enbrel, even if they had common medical conditions Enbrel could have worsened, said ex-saleswoman Elena Ferrante of Montvale, N.J., who said she was fired in August 2005 after eight years of "outstanding" performance reviews.

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