One of 16 states in case: Louisiana is one of 16 states to join in a lawsuit against Wyeth, charging the drug maker with defrauding the government by offering discounts to hospitals that it didn’t give to Medicaid, the Wall Street Journal reports. The U.S. Justice Department is also part of the suit, which was filed in a Massachusetts federal court that claims Wyeth avoided paying hundreds of millions of dollars in rebates to state Medicaid programs for its Protonix Oral and Protonix IV acid-reflux drugs. Medicaid is entitled to the lowest price on medication, and drug makers owe states rebates if they make any discounts to other parties. Read the Journal article here here. (Registration required)
Only eight states make the grade: A report by an advocacy organization found that while Louisiana offers high access to public education to white and minority children, only 19% of students are meeting proficiency standards. The Schott Foundation says that lack of a quality education is costing the state $467 million annually in lost earnings and tax revenues. The foundation says only eight states offered easy access to a high-quality education: Idaho, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Washington, Vermont and Virginia. Read the full report here.
