The Louisiana Attorney General filed a lawsuit accusing GlaxoSmithKline of wrongfully and illegally marketing, pricing, selling and promoting its Avandia diabetes drug. The state alleges that Louisiana’s Medicaid program paid GSK approximately $36 million since 1999 for fraudulently induced Avandia reimbursements. According to the state’s complaint: “GSK, at all times material hereto, orchestrated a campaign of misinformation concerning Avandia. The goal of that campaign was to maintain and maximize sales by concealing from Louisiana’s health care providers, prescribers, medical assistance programs, public health policymakers and Avandia-consuming diabetics, the numerous and grave adverse health effects, including, but not limited to heart attacks and deaths, caused by Avandia. GSK thus fraudulently priced, promoted and marketed Avandia so that Louisiana’s vulnerable diabetics would consume this, its more lucrative, profit-making drug, rather than employ less expensive and less life-threatening treatment for controlling their diabetes.”