Engineers popular cholesterol drugs Vytorin and Zetia be pursued in countries around the country about allegations that Merck & Co. and Schering-Plough Corp. mislead consumers conducted reflection drug was more effective than generics.
Action in the federal courts have been in countries like California, Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York and Ohio, according to court documents and interviews with lawyers. The consumer fraud costumes, all trying to class action, were on behalf of patients and health insurance funds to pay for expensive drugs cholesterol.
Appeals less than two weeks after Merck and Schering-Plough released a study controversial issues as to whether Vytorin and Zetia are more effective than generics. The companies have a joint venture that markets Vytorin, which combines ZOCOR Merck and Schering-Plough’s Zetia.
Other actions are underway in several other states and Puerto Rico and, finally, in each state, but Michigan, bars drugmakers against such actions, “said attorney Daniel Becnel LA, coordination of requests from companies in other countries.
“We have only, but hundreds and hundreds of customers (potential) in contact with us every day, asking to be represented in the case, he said Thursday.Becnel said he has already submitted an application for costumes in one place, a federal judge.
In the complaint, Florida, Marion J. Greene, 72, Nice City, says drugmakers violated the laws of consumer protection in all 50 states by marketing and sales of Zetia and Vytorin.”I think I deliberately misled by companies whose main business is seeking profit, rather than health,” Greene, Vytorin, almost two years, said in a statement.
The action aims to contribute to Florida depreciation of the gap between the cost of generic cholesterol drugs, which cost about one third as much Vytorin and Zetia, as well as costumes in other countries.”The cost of these drugs are two thirds more than the generic drug, which has the same performance,” said one of the lawyers Greene, Tim Howard of Tallahassee, Florida because the two drugs are annual turnover combined about 5 billion dollars of USA, it is estimated that up to $ 3.5 billion could be recovered by all adapt.
Merck spokeswoman Amy Rose said the company did not have been on complaints, because they have not yet seen.