Amgen Promises Trump 1,600 Jobs

President Donald Trump met with pharmaceutical chief executives Tuesday, including Amgen Inc.’s Robert Bradway, who promised to add 1,600 jobs, according to a tweet from White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Trump told the group that drug prices were “astronomical” and his administration would negotiate to lower them, according to a report from Bloomberg. Amgen did respond to a request for details about the job additions, Bloomberg reported. In addition to Bradway, the meeting’s attendees included top executives from Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Eli Lilly & Co., Celgene and Novartis. The meeting lifted the pharma sector, with the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index closing up 2.8 percent. Shares of Thousand Oaks-based Amgen (AMGN) closed up $2.25 or 1.5 percent to $156.68 on the Nasdaq.