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W.Va. Settles Complaint With Drug Makers Over Blood Thinner

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CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – West Virginia has reached a $3.2 million settlement with two drug manufacturers over the marketing of the prescription blood thinner Plavix.

Attorney General Patrick Morrisey’s office announced in a news release Thursday the settlement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. and Sanofi-Aventis.

The companies were accused of deception by marketing Plavix as superior to aspirin with a much higher price. The statement says evidence showed Plavix had no better outcome than aspirin for certain uses.

The state attorney general at the time, Darrell McGraw, filed the civil complaint in Marshall County Circuit Court in 2012.

The statement says the parties agreed to the settlement to avoid the expense and delay of continued litigation. Under the terms of the settlement, the companies agreed to pay $1.6 million each to the state and have denied wrongdoing.