Facing claims of unlawful marketing of the drugs Aranesp and Enbrel, Amgen has agreed to a $71 million settlement with 48 states and the District of Columbia.

The consent judgment was announced last week, Law360 reports. The settlement resolved claims that Amgen had marketed Aranesp (darbepoetin alfa) for cancer-related anemia without FDA approval and had promoted Enbrel (etarnecept) to treat mild plaque psoriasis though Enbrel is approved only for moderate to severe cases of the autoimmune disorder that causes scaling and flaking of the skin. More Drug Maker Amgen Agrees to $71 Million Settlement of Claims of Unlawful Marketing of Aranesp and Enbrel

Allegations of a DirecTV deceptive advertising campaign have prompted the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to file a lawsuit against the satellite television provider.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is suing the satellite television company on behalf of the more than 20 million subscribers in the United States who claim that DirecTV deceptively advertised costs of a two-year service promotion, an agency spokesman said Wednesday. Jessica L. Rich, director of the FTC’s bureau of consumer protection, said the agency is seeking millions of dollars in refunds, according to The New York Times (The Times). More DirecTV Faces Government Lawsuit Over Allegations that it Duped Customers into Signing up for Two-Year Service

A United States Senate panel unanimously voted in support of a measure that would offer financial incentives for auto industry employees who reveal safety defects.

Thirteen Republican and Democratic members of the Senate, Science and Transportation Committee voted to send the legislation to the floor of the Senate. The measure would allow whistleblowers to share in auto company penalty payments. The legislation was prompted by recalls of millions of vehicles by General Motors (GM) over faulty ignition switches and Takata Corp airbag inflators, according to Reuters. More Measure that Offers Financial Incentives to Auto Industry Whistleblowers to Reach the Senate Floor

A mass tort has been organized in Philadelphia surrounding the blood-thinning drug Xarelto, which has been alleged to cause uncontrollable and sometimes fatal bleeding.

Approximately 75 Xarelto cases were transferred to the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas’ Complex Litigation Center by the court’s Judge Kevin Dougherty. The lawsuits are filed against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals, according to The Legal Intelligencer (The Legal). More Mass Tort Involving 75 Xarelto Cases is Created in Philadelphia

A motion by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) and Imerys Talc America to dismiss a lawsuit filed against them by the husband of a woman who died of ovarian cancer allegedly caused by her use of talcum powder in her genital area has been dismissed by a U.S. District Court judge.

The husband claims his wife developed and subsequently died from ovarian cancer as a result of using J&J Baby Powder and Shower to Shower (containing talc mined and sold by Imerys) in the genital area. Women often use talc as a feminine hygiene product because of its ability to absorb moisture and prevent chafing. More Suit Alleging Talcum Powder Caused Woman’s Ovarian Cancer will Proceed

A special appeals court found Monday that off-label promotion claims related to a Medtronic-related lawsuit are not preempted, thus reviving a man’s lawsuit filed over Medtronic’s Infuse bone growth product.

The man alleges he suffered serious injuries after his surgeon inserted the Infuse device in an off-label manner during 2007 surgery to treat back pain. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Infuse to be inserted in an anterior approach, but the patient claims his surgeon inserted the device in a posterior approach at the urging of Medtronic, the product’s manufacturer, Law360 reported. More Appeals Court Revives Medtronic Infuse Lawsuit

Drug maker Eli Lilly is facing a lawsuit filed by a New Jersey man in federal court in Newark over the company’s testosterone replacement drug Axiron.

According to the lawsuit, the patient stated that he began taking Axiron at age 54 in September 2012 and suffered a heart attack on October 3, 2012. Had the patient known that Axiron could increase users’ risk for heart attack, he would not have started taking it, the suit states. More New Jersey Man Alleges Eli Lilly Testosterone Replacement Product Caused Him a Heart Attack

Bigger, direr health warnings are appearing on e-cigarette labels these days.

The warnings on electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are getting longer and more serious compared to the warnings on packages of traditional tobacco cigarettes, The New York Times (The Times) recently pointed out. Per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), tobacco cigarettes are only required to have short warnings. A 2009 push by federal regulators to require tobacco companies to create bigger, graphic warnings failed after a successful court challenge from several Big Tobacco companies, according to The Washington Post (The Post). More Tobacco Companies Try to Win Consumers’ and Regulators’ Trust by Placing Lengthy Warnings on E-Cigarettes

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned doctors to be vigilant when purchasing medications as the number of rogue wholesale distributors selling unapproved prescription drugs continues to grow.

The agency issued a statement that said the problem is so widespread that it has started a program to educate physicians and other healthcare providers and administrators about how to properly purchase medications to ensure their quality and safety. The program is intended to shield patients from taking potentially harmful counterfeit drugs, according to WSFA.com. More FDA to Doctors: Beware of Counterfeit Prescription Drugs

The makers of e-cigarettes want consumers to believe the nicotine delivery systems are healthier than regular cigarettes, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says there is not enough information to make those claims.

“While e-cigarette aerosol may contain fewer toxicants than cigarette smoke, studies evaluating whether e-cigarettes are less harmful than cigarettes are inconclusive,” according to a FDA report obtained by Daily News Journal (DNJ). More FDA Says E-cigarette Makers Don’t Have Enough Data to Claim Their Products are Healthier than Tobacco Cigarettes