NIH Aranesp study

Executive Summary

National Cancer Institute study to identify equivalent doses of Aranesp and J&J's Procrit should not be necessary for CMS to revise its reimbursement decision on Amgen's anemia agent, company tells analysts April 22. Amgen, CMS have been involved in "a dense set of discussions...looking at large amounts of clinical data," CEO Kevin Sharer says. "We don't expect...that any trial run by another part of the government will be necessary to come to the right conclusion and...I don't think, at this point...that [CMS sees] that as necessary either," Sharer says. CMS contracted the NCI study when it decided Aranesp should be reimbursed at the same rate as Procrit (1"The Pink Sheet" Nov. 4, 2002, p. 27)...