| A Massachusetts court has ruled that 3 of Americas | | | | ruled that Bristol-Myers Squibb overcharged for its |
| largest pharmaceutical companies have engaged in | | | | cancer drugs Taxol, Vepesid, Cytoxan, Blenoxane and |
| unfair and deceptive trade practices. reports that | | | | Rubex. She levied damages of $183,454 for one |
| AstraZeneca, Schering, Bristol-Myers Squib violated | | | | group of plaintiffs and is collecting information to |
| general laws by inflating the average wholesale prices | | | | figure the other group's damages." Althought the |
| that they reported for certain drugs, including | | | | judge agreed that Johnson & Johnsons conduct |
| chemotherapies. According to Steve Berman, the | | | | was at times troubling, apparently did not cross the |
| attorney who led the suit, Massachusetts ruling was | | | | line of "egregious misconduct" and was cleared of the |
| a test case and trials are planned for the rest of the | | | | charges. Berman said, "We are also grateful that she |
| states. This is just the tip of the iceberg of problems | | | | found the biggest victims were the patients who had |
| for AstraZeneca and Pfizer. said, "U.S. District Judge | | | | to pay these outrageous prices out of pocket as a |
| Patti Saris found that AstraZeneca overcharged for | | | | result of the defendants wrongful conduct." Visit this |
| Zoladex, a treatment for prostate cancer and levied | | | | Consumer Advocacy website for information on |
| damages of nearly $4.5 million for one group of | | | | ordering medication from an online no prescription |
| plaintiffs. She said the court needed additional | | | | pharmacy. |
| information to figure damages for the other. Saris | | | | |