Connecticut will collect more than $224,000 as its share of a multistate settlement from drugmaker Abbott Labs over allegations that it tried to block generic competition to a popular cholesterol medication.
The states’ lawsuit alleged that North Chicago-based Abbott and a unit of Belgium drugmaker Solvay Pharmaceuticals made minor changes to the formulation of TriCor to prevent cheaper generic versions from being marketed.
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal says the state’s portion of the settlement will be $224,714.
Attorneys general from 22 states and the District of Columbia sued the companies to recover costs to state Medicaid plans and other public health programs.
A spokesman for Abbott says the company believes it acted lawfully.
“We agreed to settle the lawsuits to avoid the uncertainty of ongoing litigation,” said Scott Stoffel. (AP)
