Company and Case Information

Home

Index of Filings

News and Press Releases

Filings

Decisions

Settlements

Litigation Activity Indices

Top Ten List

Annual/Quarterly Updates

Clearinghouse Research

Articles & Papers

Search

Related Sites

About Us

Local Rules

Sponsors


Register


_______________
Copyright (c) 2001
Stanford Law School


Amgen, Inc.
Summary: The original 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.

On August 1, 2007, the Court consolidated several related actions and granted the Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds motion for appointment of lead plaintiff and for approval of lead plaintiff selection of lead counsel. On October 1, 2007, a Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint was filed and the defendants responded by filing a motion to dismiss the complaint on November 8, 2007.

According to a press release dated February 6, 2008, Judge Philip S. Gutierrez of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California on Friday denied Amgen's motion to dismiss claims by lead shareholder Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds that positive statements made by company officials regarding the safety of Aranesp and Epogen were knowingly at odds with clinical studies that had raised concerns. The securities class action accuses Amgen and certain of its officers and directors of engaging in a scheme to deceive the investing public about the true value of the company's stock. Judge Gutierrez granted Amgen's motion to toss charges against five of the nine individual Amgen officers and directors named in the suit, dismissing without prejudice outside directors… However, he did allow the plaintiffs 30 days to file an amended complaint in order to include those defendants.

The remaining defendants answered the complaint on April 2, 2008 and the parties soon after engaged in discovery proceedings. On March 3, 2009, the plaintiff filed a motion to certify the class. On August 12, 2009, Judge Philip S. Gutierrez granted the motion for class certification. The defendants filed an appeal to that order granting certification. The defendants filed a motion to stay the case, which was granted on February 2, 2010.

According to a news article dated November 8, 2011, a U.S. appeals panel upheld the certification of a securities class action accusing biotech company Amgen of failing to disclose safety information about two products used to treat anemia. Amgen allegedly exaggerated the safety of its products for Food and Drug Administration-approved uses, according to court documents. The plaintiff, a state pension fund, also alleged Amgen misrepresented its marketing practices, claiming it promoted its products solely for on-label uses when it in fact promoted significant off-label usage. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday that a lower court did not abuse its discretion in certifying the class. In order to win class certification, the plaintiff must plausibly allege -- but need not prove -- that Amgen's misrepresentations are material, the three-judge appeals panel ruled.

On April 3, 2013, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a Mandate affirming the Judgment of the District Court.

INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION:
SIC Code: 2836
Sector: Healthcare
Industry: Biotechnology & Drugs


COMPANY/ISSUER NAME: Amgen, Inc.
COMPANY/ISSUER TICKER: AMGN
COMPANY WEBSITE: http://www.amgen.com

FIRST IDENTIFIED COMPLAINT IN THE DATABASE
Scott Kairalla, et al. v. Amgen, Inc., et al.
 COURT: C.D. California  DOCKET NUMBER: 07-CV-02536
 JUDGE NAME: Hon. Philip S. Gutierrez
 DATE FILED: 04/17/2007  SOURCE: Notice of Filing
 CLASS PERIOD START: 05/04/2005  CLASS PERIOD END: 03/09/2007
 TYPE OF COMPLAINT: Complaint (Unamended and Unconsolidated)
 PLAINTIFF FIRMS NAMED IN COMPLAINT:
  • Federman & Sherwood (Oklahoma City)
      120 North Robinson, Suite 2720, Oklahoma City, OK, 73102
       (voice) 405-235-1560, (fax) , wfederman@aol.com
  • Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer, LLP (former New York, NY)
      805 Third Avenue, 22nd Floor, New York, NY, 10022
       (voice) 212.687.1980, (fax) 212.687.7714, info@kaplanfox.com
  • Lerach Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP (San Diego)
      655 West Broadway, Suite 1900, San Diego, CA, 92101
       (voice) 619.231.1058, (fax) 619.231.7423,
  • Stull, Stull & Brody (Los Angeles)
      10940 Wilshire Boulevard - Suite 2300, Los Angeles, CA, 90024
       (voice) 310.209.2468, (fax) ,
    _____________________________________________
     TOTAL NUMBER OF PLAINTIFF FIRMS:  4

  •  DOCUMENTS FOR THE FIRST IDENTIFIED COMPLAINT
    Complaint for Violation of the Federal Securities Laws - Demand for Jury Trial
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 04/17/2007
    Civil Minutes - General
    Type: Other Date on the document: 07/31/2007

    REFERENCE COMPLAINT
    Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds v. Amgen, Inc., et al.
     COURT: C.D. California  DOCKET NUMBER: 07-CV-02536
     JUDGE NAME: 
     DATE FILED: 10/01/2007  SOURCE: Docket
     CLASS PERIOD START: 05/04/2005  CLASS PERIOD END: 03/09/2007
     TYPE OF COMPLAINT: Consolidated Complaint
     PLAINTIFF FIRMS NAMED IN COMPLAINT:
  • Labaton Sucharow LLP
      140 Broadway, New York, NY, 10005
       (voice) 212.907.0700, (fax) 212.818.0477, info@labaton.com
    _____________________________________________
     TOTAL NUMBER OF PLAINTIFF FIRMS:  1

  •  DOCUMENTS FOR THE REFERENCE COMPLAINT
    Consolidated Amended Class Action Complaint For Violations Of The Federal Securities Laws
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 10/1/2007
    Civil Minutes - General
    Type: Other Date on the document: 02/01/2008
    Civil Minutes - General
    Type: Other Date on the document: 08/12/2009
    U.S. District Court Civil Docket
    Type: Docket Date on the document: 08/12/2009
    Civil Minutes - General
    Type: Order Date on the document: 02/02/2010
    U.S. District Court Civil Docket
    Type: Docket Date on the document: 10/13/2011
    Order
    Type: Order Date on the document: 12/28/2011
    Order
    Type: Order Date on the document: 01/12/2012
    U.S. District Court Civil Docket
    Type: Docket Date on the document: 04/17/2013

     OTHER DOCUMENTS
    Class Action Complaint for Violation of the Federal Securities Laws - Demand for Jury Trial
    Case Name and/or Number: John A. Elden, Jr., et al. v. Amgen, Inc., et al.
    Type: Complaint Date on the document: 05/11/2007

    WARNING AND DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY:
    The information included on this Web site, whether provided by personnel employed by Stanford Law School or by third parties, is provided for research and teaching purposes only. Neither Stanford University, Stanford Law School, nor any of their employees, agents, contractors, or affiliates warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information or analyses displayed herein, and we caution all readers that inclusion of any information on this site does not constitute an endorsement of the truthfulness or accuracy of that information. In particular, this Web site contains complaints and other documents filed in federal and state courts, which make allegations that may or may not be accurate. No reader should, on the basis of information contained in or referenced by this Web site, assume that any of these allegations are truthful.
    Go to Search  page | Go to Case Index  page | Back to Top