October 14, 2004
Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist is suing a Florida company for violations of the state's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act regarding pricing of flu vaccines. Fort Lauderdale-based ASAP Meds, Inc., doing business as Meds-Stat, was sued a few days earlier by Kansas Alleges Flu Vaccine Price Gouging.
Meds-Stat allegedly sold vials of flu vaccines to a Kansas City pharmacy at a rate of $900 per vial (10 doses per vial). The vaccine is usually priced at $63 to $85 per vial, amounting to a markup exceeding 900%.
This behavior is totally unacceptable raw exploitation, said Crist. While millions of Americans will be forced to do without vaccines this year, some businesses are attempting to take advantage of children, the elderly and the frail by unfair and unconscionable business acts. Preying on the fears of the consuming public is not a description of good corporate citizens.
The Attorney General has asked the Broward County Circuit Court to enjoin Meds-Stat from selling flu vaccines at unconscionable prices.
The flu vaccine shortages developed after Chiron, which provided the majority of the nations flu vaccine, announced that it would be unable to provide vaccines this year.
Anyone with information on artificially high vaccine prices involving Meds-Stat, or any other distributor, should call the Florida Attorney Generals Fraud Hotline at 1-866-966-7226.
