Amgen says FTC case to block Horizon Therapeutics deal `defies logic’

Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN) mentioned that the Federal Commerce Fee’s lawsuit to problem its deliberate buy of Horizon Therapeutics (NASDAQ:HZNP) “defies logic.”

The “plaintiffs come nowhere near assembly their burden to indicate a chance of success,” Amgen’s attorneys wrote in a response temporary to the FTC’s lawsuit on Tuesday. “Their case defies logic and precedent in a lot of methods.

The authorized submitting comes because the antitrust regulator is about to sq. off with Amgen (AMGN) in a Chicago courtroom on Sept. 11. Whereas there was hypothesis a couple of potential settlement and the 2 sides have confirmed they’ve had discussions, the trial is about to start in a number of weeks.

Amgen (AMGN) contends in its temporary that the FTC’s declare that the biopharma firm could attempt to bundle rebates on its merchandise in a take care of Horizon (HZNP) isn’t the case.

The “plaintiff’s case—premised on the rivalry that Amgen may someday supply bundled rebates on a number of of its merchandise to by some means exclude potential rivals to both of two Horizon merchandise—is much too faraway from actuality and unmoored from a long time of authorized precedent to warrant such extraordinary aid,” Amgen’s attorneys wrote.

Amgen mentioned it is not going to bundle any of its merchandise “for any purpose or any time with Tepezza or Krystexxa.

“Merely put, there isn’t a proof to help Plaintiffs’ speculative principle that Amgen would interact in novel cross-benefit bundling to compete with merchandise which will by no means come to market,” Amgen’s attorneys wrote within the temporary.

Amgen (AMGN) CEO Robert Bradway mentioned earlier this month that the FTC has ignored the commitments that the corporate has made to deal with the regulator’s issues across the deal. Bradway mentioned the corporate is engaged on integration plans with Horizon (HZNP) so the businesses can mix by mid-December, when he expects the deal to shut.

Whereas there was discuss that the FTC workers could also be open to discussions with Amgen (AMGN), the difficulty is that the workers cannot discuss with the commissioners as a result of the commissioners are overseeing an inner administrative continuing, the place they “sorta stand as decide and jury,” to aim to dam the Horizon deal, CNBC’s David Faber mentioned on the community on Wednesday There’s a perception at Amgen that no matter workers could supply cannot be adopted by on as a result of they are not speaking to the commissioners.

Amgen (AMGN) mentioned in June it will not shut the deal earlier than Oct. 31 or the second enterprise day after the courtroom guidelines on the FTC’s request to dam the deal. U.S. District Decide John Kness set a listening to for Sept. 11 on the FTC’s efforts to dam the mixture.