The State of Louisiana filed suit against a pharmaceutical partnership for falsely advertising a prescription drug's effectiveness.
State Attorney General James Caldwell filed the lawsuit May 1 in Louisiana District Court against Bristol-Myers Squibb and Sanofi Pharmaceuticals claiming the partnership promoted the drug Plavix as a “superior drug to aspirin...even though there was no substantial evidence that Plavix was superior to aspirin.”
Plavix is a blood thinner used to prevent blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. The lawsuit also alleged the partnership failed to tell patients of adverse affects the drug had in some patient populations, and “deliberately promoting uses of Plavix that are not approved by the FDA and that are not eligible for reimbursement by government programs.”
Caldwell is seeking restitution and a $5,000 civil penalty per violation plus court costs.
In addition to Caldwell, other attorneys working on the lawsuit include James P. Ryan, Patrick C. Morrow, Jeffrey M. Bassett, P. Craig Morrow and Tyalor J. Bassett of Morrow, Morrow, Ryan & Bassett in Opelousas; Robert L. Salim and Barrett L. Beasley of Salim-Beasley LLC of Natchitoches; and Kelvin G. Sanders of Kelvin Sanders LLC in Alexandria.
27th Judicial District Court St. Landry Parish, Louisiana case number 6:15-cv-01507.