NEWS RELEASE

Committee on Energy and Commerce
Rep. John D. Dingell, Chairman

Dingell, Stupak Continue Investigations into DTC Advertising and ESA Safety

Request records from Johnson & Johnson and Amgen Inc. on the marketing of potentially-harmful ESAs

Washington, DC – Reps. John D. Dingell (D-MI), Chairman of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Bart Stupak (D-MI), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, yesterday wrote to the CEOs of Johnson & Johnson and Amgen Inc., requesting records on the marketing of Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents (ESAs). This latest information request is part of two ongoing investigations into direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising and the safety of ESAs and their promotion by drug companies. The lawmakers questioned whether marketing practices by Johnson & Johnson and Amgen Inc. have fueled excessive and dangerous off-label use of ESAs, which are designed to treat anemic patients.

“Millions of dollars have been poured into aggressive marketing campaigns, despite mounting evidence that these therapies pose serious risks,” said Dingell. “These potentially harmful drugs are over-prescribed and widely used off-label, and it’s time we evaluate the marketing practices used to push them.”

For at least a decade, ESAs have been widely prescribed to prevent the need for blood transfusions in cancer and dialysis patients suffering from anemia. However, mounting evidence suggests that, even when used as directed, ESAs put cancer patients at increased risk of blood clots and death.

“Patients are placed in danger when direct-to-consumer advertising highlights the benefits but not the life-threatening risks associated with a drug,” said Stupak. “In this case, the advertising seems to have fueled off-label uses of EPO products, exacerbating the risk to patients.”

Read the letter to Johnson & Johnson »

Read the letter to Amgen »

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