Lawsuit brought against Abbott over TriCor patenting

WILMINGTON, Del. Abbott Laboratories has been sued by 18 states in federal courts, according to the Associated Press. The states allege the drugmaker blocked generic competition for its cholesterol medication TriCor.

The states allege in U.S. District Court in Wilmington that the companies continuously made minor changes in the formulation of TriCor to prevent cheaper generic versions from being marketed. The complaint seeks triple the amount of damages incurred by the states’ public health agencies and individual consumers.

States involved in the suit are: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia.

TriCor had sales of over $1 billion last year for Abbott.