ASTRAZENECA declared last night that it would vigorously contest a lawsuit accusing the Anglo-Swedish drugmaker of falsely promoting its new ulcer drug as a more powerful medicine than an older version that is available at a cut-price rate.

The group, Europe’s third- biggest drugmaker, insisted that the allegations, contained in a lawsuit filed in New York on Monday by Goodkind Labaton Rudoff & Sucharow, were unfounded.

The US law firm, which is acting for several benefit funds connected with labour unions in New York and Long Island, alleges that AstraZeneca used a “false promotional campaign” to lure health insurance companies into overpaying for stomach ulcer treatments. AstraZeneca, it is claimed, promoted Nexium, its latest treatment for the condition, as superior to Prilosec, a cheaper alternative also produced by the company.

Barbara Hart, a partner in the class-action law firm, said that it was “reprehensible that AstraZeneca would exacerbate the problems of high prescription costs with misleading promotions”.

The suit comes after a class-action suit filed last month in Los Angeles on behalf of the AFL-CIO labour union and two senior citizen consumer groups alleging that AstraZeneca initiated misleading advertising to deceive consumers.

However, AstraZeneca hit back with a strongly-worded defence of its marketing effort. It said: “The company continues to promote Nexium on the strength of strong scientific evidence. The differences between Nexium and Prilosec have been well documented in head-to-head comparisons.”

More than eight million people have taken Nexium since its launch in 2001. Last year, the drug generated sales of $3.3 billion (£1.7 billion).

Meanwhile, AstraZeneca yesterday took out advertisements in the US press to reassure American patients that Crestor, its anti-cholesterol drug, was safe. The move came after comments by a senior official of the US Food and Drug Administration that the drug might cause kidney damage. The adverts emphasised that the FDA continues to have confidence in Crestor’s safety and efficacy.

ACNE TREATMENT RESTRICTED

The US Food and Drug Administration yesterday moved to tighten prescription controls on an acne drug made by Roche — just days after an official raised safety doubts over the medicine at a congressional hearing. The agency said that doctors and pharmacies must get informed consent before prescribing the drug to patients. On November 18, David Graham told senators that the FDA was doing nothing to stop expansive use of the drug, which has been linked to deaths and birth defects. At the time, the FDA tried to distance itself from his comments.