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A county in California is suing GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) over allegations the company withheld evidence that a diabetes drug could cause an increased risk of heart attacks.
Santa Clara County wants compensation for all those who purchased Avandia across the state, arguing that Glaxo violated false-advertising laws.
“GSK’s unlawful conduct has cost patients, their insurers, and government payors millions of dollars, and it has caused needless suffering to thousands of Californians,” said Santa Clara County’s acting county counsel Miguel Marquez. “This is precisely the sort of corporate malfeasance that California law prohibits.”
Glaxo, which is based in London, denies all charges, saying that scientific evidence refutes all claims against the drug.
The case, which was filed last Friday in Northern California District, comes after last month’s release of a U.S. Senate report claiming the company withheld data from the Food and Drug Administration over the risks of Avandia.
Copyright Press Association 2010
