Ala. asks jury for $170 million in drug trial

By: Associated Press | Alabama's13.com
Published: February 23, 2009

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - An attorney for the state of Alabama has asked a jury to order generic drug manufacturer Sandoz to pay the state as much as $170 million for causing the Medicaid program to pay too much for prescription drugs.

But at attorney for the German-based pharmaceutical said no drugs were mispriced.

Montgomery attorney Jere Beasley told jurors Monday that Sandoz was greedy in the way it reported prices that the state used to determine how much to reimburse phamacists for the medicine.

But the Montgomery attorney representing Sandoz, Tabor Novak, said Sandoz reported accurate prices and did nothing wrong. He said state officials did not understand the system being used to The attorneys made the remarks in closing statements. Sandoz is one of more than 70 prescription drug manufacturers the state sued in 2005 over Medicaid drug prices dating back to 1991.