Wisconsin Upholds Fraud Ruling Against Pfizer Inc.

The Wisconsin Court of Appeals on Wednesday cleared the way for the state to move forward with lawsuits against more than 20 pharmaceutical companies accused of defrauding the Medicaid program. The Appeals Court issued an opinion on a "plethora of issues" and upheld a $22 million judgment against Pharmacia in 2009, the first of the lawsuits to go to trial, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice. Pharmacia now is part of Pfizer. The ruling will enable the litigation against the other companies to move to the next phase, Attorney General J. B. Van Hollen said in a statement. "We're one step closer to resolving claims against the remaining defendants," he said. In 2004, Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager sued 36 pharmaceutical companies, alleging that they reported fictitious prices to manipulate the formula that determined what Medicaid should pay for prescription drugs. The U.S. Department of Justice and about two dozen states have filed similar lawsuits.