ALL MEMBERS,
NEW PROCRIT WARNINGS HAVE BEEN ISSUED:
Johnson & Johnson receives US government subpoena on Procrit
Candace Hoffmann
10/04/2004
Johnson & Johnson said late Friday that its Ortho Biotech unit received a subpoena from the US Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services seeking documents about its sales and marketing of Procrit, as reported in news sources. The drugmaker said it is responding to the subpoena and is cooperating with federal officials.
Earlier this year, the New York State Attorney General requested documents pertaining to possible off-label marketing of several Johnson & Johnson drugs including anaemia treatment Procrit (erythropoietin), as reported in CNN Money and Yahoo Finance.
In 2003, sales of Procrit were $2.8 billion. In the second quarter of this year, Procrit's sales fell to $582 million in light of increased competition from rival products including Amgen's Aranesp, as reported in CNN Money.
Johnson & Johnson's Ortho Biotech unit markets Procrit under a licensing agreement with Amgen, which manufactures it.
Reference Articles
* Feds probe J&J Procrit sales - (CBS MarketWatch)
* J&J subpoenaed about Procrit - (CNN Money)
* Ortho Biotech gets dept of health subpoena for Procrit - (Morningstar)
* U.S. seeks Johnson & Johnson Procrit documents (subscription) - (The Wall Street Journal)
* Johnson & Johnson gets subpeona - (TheStreet.com)
* Government seeks documents on Procrit marketing - (USA Today)
* Johnson & Johnson receives subpoena - (Yahoo!Finance)