Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear said Wednesday his office has secured $152,000 from a multistate settlement involving a pharmaceutical company.
Beshear’s office said the settlement resolves allegations involving Connecticut-based company Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. His office said the company engaged in off-label marketing and deceptive and misleading promotion of prescription drugs used to prevent stroke, COPD and hypertension.
Per a release from Beshear's Office, the company:
- Misrepresented that its antiplatelet drug, Aggrenox®, was effective for many conditions “below the neck,” such as heart attacks and congestive heart failure, and that it was superior to Plavix® without evidence to substantiate that claim;
- Misrepresented that Micardis® protected patients from early morning strokes and heart attacks and treated metabolic syndrome;
- Misrepresented that Combivent® could be used as a first-line treatment for bronchospasms associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); and
- Falsely stated that Atrovent® and Combivent® could be used at doses that exceeded the maximum dosage recommendation in the product labeling and that the drugs were essential for treatment of COPD.
Bshear’s office returned nearly $6 million to the general fund this year through litigation and settlements.