Bristol-Myers, Sanofi Draw Texas Fraud Claims Over Plavix Safety

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Sanofi-Aventis US face fraud claims from Texas for not disclosing the antiplatelet medication Plavix has diminished effects on certain minority populations.

By holding up the drug as effective, the pharmaceutical companies wasted billions of taxpayer dollars funding Medicaid and other healthcare programs, lawyers for Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said in a lawsuit announced Thursday.

“Defendants prioritized profits even if that meant putting patients’ lives at risk,” the filing in state court said.

The announcement comes two weeks after Bloomberg Law reported Paxton was likely to sue the companies, citing contracts he signed with two ...