AARP Joins Suit Against Drug Makers

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AARP Joins Suit Against Drug Makers

Wed May 29, 9:33 PM ET

By LESLIE MILLER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - The AARP, the nation's largest lobbying group for older

Americans, is accusing pharmaceutical companies of paying their competitors

not to market cheaper generic drugs.

The group on Wednesday joined three lawsuits filed last year against six

drug companies, alleging patent abuse, suppression of generic competition

and collusion with generic manufacturers.

" Drug companies are violating antitrust laws when they pay each other not to

compete and delay generic manufacturers from getting drugs to consumers as

quickly as they otherwise would, " said Lock, senior attorney for the

AARP, formerly the American Association of Retired Persons.

Consumer groups, especially those representing the elderly, are increasingly

concerned about the high cost of prescription drugs. Congress has stalled in

its efforts to alleviate the expense of drugs by providing a prescription

drug benefit as part of Medicare.

" We really regret that AARP is walking down the wrong road, " said Jeff

Trewhitt, spokesman for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of

America. " They've taken up with the nation's trial lawyers, instead of

working with representatives in Congress and the White House in Washington

to reform Medicare and provide drug coverage. "

The AARP, which has 35 million members, says it joined the three cases

because they involve drugs widely used by Americans aged 50 and older.

One lawsuit charges Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. of illegally maintaining a

monopoly on BuSpar, an anti-anxiety drug.

Another alleges Schering-Plough Corp., Upsher- Laboratories Inc. and

American Home Products (now Wyeth) conspired to keep off the market a

generic version of K-Dur-20, which treats side effects of high blood

pressure medication.

The third suit says AstraZeneca and Barr Laboratories colluded to keep off

the market a generic version of the breast cancer (news - web sites) drug

tamoxifen.

AARP attorneys will serve as co-counsel in cases associated with the

Prescription Access Litigation Project, a coalition of consumer and health

groups.

Telephone calls seeking comment were not immediately returned from

Bristol-Myers in New York, Barr Laboratories in Pomona, N.Y., Wyeth in

Madison, N.J., Upsher- Laboratories in Minneapolis and Schering-Plough

Corp. in Kenilworth, N.J.

AstraZeneca in London could not be reached for comment.