Suit Alleges Thyroid Drug Study Cover-Up

An $8.5-billion lawsuit was filed in federal court against Germany’s BASF AG and U.S. unit Knoll Pharmaceutical Co alleging they suppressed a medical study to control the U.S. market for thyroid drugs, attorneys said. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, alleged that BASF, Knoll and Boots Pharmaceutical concealed a seven-year university study that concluded that their thyroid drug was no better than cheaper, generic brands to treat people suffering from hypothyroidism. Attorney Barry Himmelstein, representing the thyroid patients, said he would seek class-action status for the lawsuit and a jury trial in San Francisco.