Hawaii Orders Drugmakers to Pay $916M in Plavix Lawsuit

A Hawaii court has mandated that the manufacturers and distributors of the blood thinner Plavix pay the state $916 million for failing to disclose the medication's efficacy and safety, according to the state attorney general.

The judgment targets Bristol Myers Squibb Company and three U.S. subsidiaries of the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi. Both Bristol Myers Squibb and Sanofi expressed their disagreement with the penalty and plan to appeal.

First Circuit Court Judge James Ashford found that around 30% of patients, particularly non-Caucasians, might have a "diminished response" to Plavix, yet the companies did not update the drug's label to reflect this risk. The attorney general stated that the companies acted in bad faith by marketing a product that could have severe consequences for Hawaiian patients despite knowing it would be ineffective for a significant portion of the population.

Hawaii filed the lawsuit in 2014, noting that more than 1 million Plavix prescriptions had been issued in the state since the drug's introduction in 1998. Hawaii is the fifth state to sue over Plavix's marketing practices, following Louisiana, Mississippi, West Virginia, and California.

In a joint emailed statement, the companies maintained that a substantial body of scientific evidence supports Plavix's safety and efficacy regardless of a patient's race and genetics. They described the penalties as "unwarranted and out of proportion." The companies also pointed out that Hawaii's case is an outlier, as they have successfully defended against similar litigation in other states.

The companies emphasized that Plavix has been a critical treatment for millions of cardiovascular patients worldwide for over two decades. They noted that the drug is endorsed as a first-line therapy by leading treatment guidelines globally and remains the standard of care.