Resources for Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

Enbrel Marketing Scheme Violated HIPAA, Former Amgen Employees Claim

www.newsinferno.com

Two former Amgen employees are charging that the drug maker engaged in illegal marketing practices in an attempt to increase sales of the drug Enbrel. The former Amgen salespeople claim that they were encouraged by the company to illegally access patient records to induce insurance carriers to pay for Enbrel, an extremely pricey drug.

According to the drug’s website, Enbrel is a type of protein called a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker that blocks the action of a substance made by the body’s immune system called TNF. People with an immune disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, and psoriasis, have too much TNF in their bodies. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) first approved Enbrel in 2000 for treating rheumatoid arthritis, and its approved uses where expanded several times to include psoriasis and other conditions.

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