Contingencies and commitments	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2012
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Contingencies and commitments	Contingencies and commitments In the ordinary course of business, we are involved in various legal proceedings and other matters, including those discussed in this Note, that are complex in nature and have outcomes that are difficult to predict. See Note 18, Contingencies and commitments to our consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, and Note 13, Contingencies and commitments to our condensed consolidated financial statements in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended March 31, 2012, and June 30, 2012, for further discussion of certain of our legal proceedings and other matters. We record accruals for loss contingencies to the extent that we conclude that it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the related loss can be reasonably estimated. We evaluate, on a quarterly basis, developments in legal proceedings and other matters that could cause an increase or decrease in the amount of the liability that has been accrued previously. Excluding fees paid to our external counsel, as of September 30, 2012, the Company has accrued $806 million associated with the previously-announced proposed settlement of the allegations arising out of the federal civil and criminal investigations pending in the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York and the Western District of Washington (the Federal Investigations) and the proposed settlement of an additional civil qui tam matter we now expect to be resolved in connection with the Federal Investigations (see Government Investigations and Qui Tam Actions below), which includes accrued interest potentially due on the proposed settlement. Our legal proceedings range from cases brought by a single plaintiff to a class action with thousands of putative class members. These legal proceedings, as well as other matters, involve various aspects of our business and a variety of claims (including but not limited to patent infringement, marketing, pricing and trade practices and securities law), some of which present novel factual allegations and/or unique legal theories. Except for the proposed settlement of the allegations arising out of the Federal Investigations and the settlement of the additional civil qui tam expected to be resolved in connection with the Federal Investigations, in each of the matters described in this filing, in Note 18 to our consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, or in Note 13 to our condensed consolidated financial statements in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended March 31, 2012, and June 30, 2012, plaintiffs seek an award of a not-yet-quantified amount of damages or an amount that is not material. In addition, a number of the matters pending against us are at very early stages of the legal process (which in complex proceedings of the sort faced by us often extend for several years). As a result, except for the proposed settlement of the allegations arising out of the Federal Investigations and the settlement of the additional civil qui tam expected to be resolved in connection with the Federal Investigations, none of the matters described in these filings have progressed sufficiently through discovery and/or development of important factual information and legal issues to enable us to estimate a range of possible loss, if any, or such amounts are not material. While it is not possible to accurately predict or determine the eventual outcomes of these items, an adverse determination in one or more of these items currently pending, including further adverse determinations associated with the pending investigations described above, could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows. Certain recent developments concerning our legal proceedings and other matters are discussed below: Co-Pay Litigation A class action lawsuit titled American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 37 Health & Security Plan and Sergeants Benevolent Association Health and Welfare Fund, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated v. Amgen and Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer) was filed on March 7, 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. That suit was dismissed and re-filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on March 27, 2012. The complaint challenged the lawfulness of prescription co-pay assistance programs implemented by Amgen and Pfizer for certain of their products, including Amgen's Enbrel^® and Sensipar^®. On October 4, 2012, all claims against Amgen in this lawsuit were voluntarily dismissed. Government Investigations and Qui Tam Actions In October 2011, Amgen announced it had reached an agreement in principle to settle allegations relating to its sales and marketing practices arising out of the Federal Investigations. Amgen continues to engage in productive settlement discussions with government representatives and currently expects that the agreement in principle will be formalized in a written settlement agreement (the Settlement Agreement) before the end of 2012. Amgen continues to expect that the Settlement Agreement will resolve the Federal Investigations, the related state Medicaid claims and the claims in U.S. ex rel. Westmoreland v. Amgen, et al. and nine other Qui Tam Actions described in Note 18, Contingencies and commitments to its consolidated financial statements in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, in a manner that will not result in exclusion from U.S. federally-funded health care programs. Amgen now expects that the Settlement Agreement will also resolve the claims of one of the other civil qui tam actions that were not included in the agreement in principle but of which Amgen was made aware during settlement discussions. (See Note 18, Contingencies and commitments to our consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.) The additional qui tam action that Amgen expects will be resolved by the Settlement Agreement (the Additional Qui Tam) includes allegations that Amgen's promotional, contracting, sales and marketing activities and arrangements relating to ENBREL caused the submission of various false claims under the Federal Civil False Claims Act and various State False Claims Acts. Until the Settlement Agreement is signed, the Additional Qui Tam will remain under seal in the U.S. federal court in which it was filed. In connection with entering into the Settlement Agreement, Amgen expects to also enter into a corporate integrity agreement with the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The proposed settlement remains subject to continuing discussions regarding the components of the Settlement Agreement and the corporate integrity agreement and the completion and execution of all required documentation, and until the proposed settlement and the corporate integrity agreement each become final, there can be no guarantee that these matters will be resolved by the agreement in principle. As previously disclosed, as part of the settlement discussions described above, Amgen was made aware that it is a defendant in several other civil qui tam actions (the Other Qui Tams) in addition to those included in the agreement in principle. As stated above, we now expect that one of the Other Qui Tams (the Additional Qui Tam) will be resolved by the Settlement Agreement. Amgen has been informed that it has been dismissed from two of the Other Qui Tams: U.S. ex rel. May v. Amgen, et al. and another matter that continues under seal against other defendants. Amgen has reached a separate agreement in principle and expects to enter into a written settlement agreement to resolve a fourth Other Qui Tam, for which Amgen has accrued an immaterial amount, before the end of 2012; that matter will remain under seal in the U.S. federal court where it was filed until the settlement agreement is signed. The fifth and final Other Qui Tam action remains under seal in the U.S. federal court in which it was filed and includes allegations that Amgen's promotional, contracting, sales and marketing activities and arrangements relating to Aranesp^®, NEUPOGEN^®, Neulasta^®, XGEVA^®, Prolia^®, Vectibix^® and Nplate^® caused the submission of various false claims under the Federal Civil False Claims Act and various State False Claims Acts. Amgen continues to cooperate fully with the government in its investigation of these allegations.

Contingencies and commitments

In the ordinary course of business, we are involved in various legal proceedings and other matters, including those discussed in this Note, that are complex in nature and have outcomes that are difficult to predict. See Note 18, Contingencies and commitments to our consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, and Note 13, Contingencies and commitments to our condensed consolidated financial statements in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended March 31, 2012, and June 30, 2012, for further discussion of certain of our legal proceedings and other matters.

We record accruals for loss contingencies to the extent that we conclude that it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the related loss can be reasonably estimated. We evaluate, on a quarterly basis, developments in legal proceedings and other matters that could cause an increase or decrease in the amount of the liability that has been accrued previously. Excluding fees paid to our external counsel, as of September 30, 2012, the Company has accrued $806 million associated with the previously-announced proposed settlement of the allegations arising out of the federal civil and criminal investigations pending in the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York and the Western District of Washington (the Federal Investigations) and the proposed settlement of an additional civil qui tam matter we now expect to be resolved in connection with the Federal Investigations (see Government Investigations and Qui Tam Actions below), which includes accrued interest potentially due on the proposed settlement.

Our legal proceedings range from cases brought by a single plaintiff to a class action with thousands of putative class members. These legal proceedings, as well as other matters, involve various aspects of our business and a variety of claims (including but not limited to patent infringement, marketing, pricing and trade practices and securities law), some of which present novel factual allegations and/or unique legal theories. Except for the proposed settlement of the allegations arising out of the Federal Investigations and the settlement of the additional civil qui tam expected to be resolved in connection with the Federal Investigations, in each of the matters described in this filing, in Note 18 to our consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, or in Note 13 to our condensed consolidated financial statements in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the periods ended March 31, 2012, and June 30, 2012, plaintiffs seek an award of a not-yet-quantified amount of damages or an amount that is not material. In addition, a number of the matters pending against us are at very early stages of the legal process (which in complex proceedings of the sort faced by us often extend for several years). As a result, except for the proposed settlement of the allegations arising out of the Federal Investigations and the settlement of the additional civil qui tam expected to be resolved in connection with the Federal Investigations, none of the matters described in these filings have progressed sufficiently through discovery and/or development of important factual information and legal issues to enable us to estimate a range of possible loss, if any, or such amounts are not material. While it is not possible to accurately predict or determine the eventual outcomes of these items, an adverse determination in one or more of these items currently pending, including further adverse determinations associated with the pending investigations described above, could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

Certain recent developments concerning our legal proceedings and other matters are discussed below:

Co-Pay Litigation

A class action lawsuit titled American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees District Council 37 Health & Security Plan and Sergeants Benevolent Association Health and Welfare Fund, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated v. Amgen and Pfizer Inc. (Pfizer) was filed on March 7, 2012 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. That suit was dismissed and re-filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on March 27, 2012. The complaint challenged the lawfulness of prescription co-pay assistance programs implemented by Amgen and Pfizer for certain of their products, including Amgen's Enbrel^® and Sensipar^®. On October 4, 2012, all claims against Amgen in this lawsuit were voluntarily dismissed.

Government Investigations and Qui Tam Actions

In October 2011, Amgen announced it had reached an agreement in principle to settle allegations relating to its sales and marketing practices arising out of the Federal Investigations. Amgen continues to engage in productive settlement discussions with government representatives and currently expects that the agreement in principle will be formalized in a written settlement agreement (the Settlement Agreement) before the end of 2012. Amgen continues to expect that the Settlement Agreement will resolve the Federal Investigations, the related state Medicaid claims and the claims in U.S. ex rel. Westmoreland v. Amgen, et al. and nine other Qui Tam Actions described in Note 18, Contingencies and commitments to its consolidated financial statements in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, in a manner that will not result in exclusion from U.S. federally-funded health care programs. Amgen now expects that the Settlement Agreement will also resolve the claims of one of the other civil qui tam actions that were not included in the agreement in principle but of which Amgen was made aware during settlement discussions. (See Note 18, Contingencies and commitments to our consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.) The additional qui tam action that Amgen expects will be resolved by the Settlement Agreement (the Additional Qui Tam) includes allegations that Amgen's promotional, contracting, sales and marketing activities and arrangements relating to ENBREL caused the submission of various false claims under the Federal Civil False Claims Act and various State False Claims Acts. Until the Settlement Agreement is signed, the Additional Qui Tam will remain under seal in the U.S. federal court in which it was filed.

In connection with entering into the Settlement Agreement, Amgen expects to also enter into a corporate integrity agreement with the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The proposed settlement remains subject to continuing discussions regarding the components of the Settlement Agreement and the corporate integrity agreement and the completion and execution of all required documentation, and until the proposed settlement and the corporate integrity agreement each become final, there can be no guarantee that these matters will be resolved by the agreement in principle.

As previously disclosed, as part of the settlement discussions described above, Amgen was made aware that it is a defendant in several other civil qui tam actions (the Other Qui Tams) in addition to those included in the agreement in principle. As stated above, we now expect that one of the Other Qui Tams (the Additional Qui Tam) will be resolved by the Settlement Agreement. Amgen has been informed that it has been dismissed from two of the Other Qui Tams: U.S. ex rel. May v. Amgen, et al. and another matter that continues under seal against other defendants. Amgen has reached a separate agreement in principle and expects to enter into a written settlement agreement to resolve a fourth Other Qui Tam, for which Amgen has accrued an immaterial amount, before the end of 2012; that matter will remain under seal in the U.S. federal court where it was filed until the settlement agreement is signed. The fifth and final Other Qui Tam action remains under seal in the U.S. federal court in which it was filed and includes allegations that Amgen's promotional, contracting, sales and marketing activities and arrangements relating to Aranesp^®, NEUPOGEN^®, Neulasta^®, XGEVA^®, Prolia^®, Vectibix^® and Nplate^® caused the submission of various false claims under the Federal Civil False Claims Act and various State False Claims Acts. Amgen continues to cooperate fully with the government in its investigation of these allegations.