Pharma in hackers' crosshairs as Amgen breach moves to courts

USA-based biotech major Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN) is now defending a proposed class action over the cloud breach it disclosed in late July, the first sign that an incident described in a regulatory filing three weeks ago will carry a long legal tail.

The complaint, brought by Pennsylvania resident Heidi Humphreys in the US District Court for the Central District of California, argues the theft was a foreseeable result of what it calls deficient cybersecurity practices. Amgen declined to comment. Law firms Edelson Lechtzin and Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe have opened parallel investigations, so more filings are likely.