Hawaii is one of several states suing biotechnology behemoth Amgen Inc. for allegedly giving kickbacks to medical providers to help boost sales of the anemia drug Aranesp.

The Thousand Oaks, Calif., company allegedly encouraged medical providers to bill third parties, including Medicaid, for Aranesp, which was available to them at no cost, according to the suit. The lawsuit also alleges that Amgen conspired to offer kickbacks, including nonexistent consultancy deals and weekend retreats, to boost prescriptions of Aranesp.
Sales of the drug have been slipping for more than a year because of increased safety concerns and stricter safety warnings.
Amgen issued a statement in response to the suit saying, “We believe that the allegations are without merit, and we look forward to the opportunity to examine these matters with the states before the Court.”
Other states besides Hawaii participating in the suit are California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Tennessee, and Virginia, along with the District of Columbia.
The case is being lead by Special Assistant Attorney General Margot Schoenborn of the New York Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.