Hawaii will receive nearly a million dollars in a suit filed by multiple states against a major pharmaceutical company.
The $967,000 settlement, reached with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, was announced today by Stephen Levins, head of the state Office of Consumer Protection.
The complaint alleged that AstraZeneca misled consumers in marketing the drug Seroquel.
The company “engaged in unfair and deceptive practices when it marketed Seroquel for unapproved or off-label uses, failed to adequately disclose the drug’s potential side effects to health care providers, and withheld negative information contained in scientific studies concerning the safety and efficacy of Seroquel,” said Levins.
AstraZeneca did not admit wrongdoing in agreeing to the settlement, which totalled $68.5 million in payments to 38 states.
Levins said Hawaii’s portion of the suit was pursued by state attorneys and none of the settlement money will be paid to private attorneys.
“This important agreement will help to ensure that prescription are properly marketed in the United States,” said Levins.