Amgen Inc.’s chief executive, Kevin Sharer, took home $19.9 million last year, marking a 17 percent dip in the executive’s pay.

Thousand Oaks-based Amgen has been battling reports that claim its best-selling anemia drugs, Aranesp and Epogen, cause increased patients’ risk of contracting tumors or dying while using the drugs. Shares in Amgen have lost 11 percent this year.

Sharer actually received a slight raise in base pay to $1.55 million, but his total haul was hit as stock awards declined, the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Shares in Amgen were up 11 cents to $41.89 in early trading Tuesday.