Amgen to discontinue discounts on anemia drug: report
(Reuters) - Amgen Inc (AMGN.O) 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, the New York Times said.
Amgen confirmed late on 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.
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.
Amgen has denied that its pricing policies have caused overuse of Aranesp.
"Nevertheless, we believe these contracting changes, along with other modifications, help to clear up those possible misperceptions," the New York Times quoted a company statement as saying.
No one at Amgen was available for immediate comments.
(Reporting by Sweta Singh in Bangalore; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
