March 03, 2008
It is not good news for those who consume Amgen's and Johnson & Johnson's anti-anemia drugs. An increased rate of deaths via blood clot is found out in a study done on this.
A 10% more death rate is noted in the people who took the anti-anemia drugs, when compared to those who did not. The problem is mounted for Amgen’s than for the much larger company, Johnson and Johnson.
About 7.5% of those who consumed Amgen's Aranesp and Johnson & Johnson's Procrit developed blood clots. This is a higher figure when compared to the 4.9% who were given only placebos.
The Food and Drug Administration has warned against Procrit, Johnson and Johnson’s drug for the reasons that blood clots and risks of strokes are associated with it. Johnson and Johnson also face a high competition from Amgen.
The state of Amgen is worse than that of Johnson and Johnson. Half of the company’s sales are based on the anemia drugs, Epogen and Aranesp. Because of its harmful side effects, doctors are not willing to prescribe them anymore to their patients. This has slashed the company’s shares by 27.0% last year.
Source: medindia.com
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