PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Generic drug giant Mylan Inc. has sued the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette over stories based on internal documents that prompted a review by the Food and Drug Administration.
The FDA earlier this month concluded Mylan did nothing wrong after the newspaper reported in July that employees at Mylan's Morgantown, W.Va., facility regularly overrode computer-generated warnings about potential problems with medication making.
Mylan said its internal investigation found that the quality of medication was not being affected.
"We are very disappointed that this situation occurred and reached this level, however, we have no other alternative but to address this type of misconduct," Mylan chairman and CEO Robert J. Coury said in a statement Wednesday.
The suit, which alleges misappropriation of trade secrets, was filed Wednesday in the Circuit Court of Monongalia County, W.Va.
The paper's publisher and editor in chief, John Robinson Block, said in a statement that the paper has not seen the complaint, "But the Post-Gazette stands fully behind its reporting and its news gathering and will defend the suit vigorously."
The articles were based on improperly obtained and misconstrued confidential and proprietary documents, according to the suit. The suit asks for the documents back, along with an unspecified amount of money.
"The sensational misuse of the documents caused harm to Mylan and its shareholders, evidenced by substantial market volatility, a decrease in its stock price, and the resulting decrease in market capitalization, all of which occurred on the second largest trading day in Mylan's history," the suit said.
The "articles mischaracterized a minor deviation from an internal Mylan procedure, creating the false appearance of significant quality and regulatory issues," the suit said.
The lawsuit targets the paper, reporters Len Boselovic and Patricia Sabatini, and other defendants still not identified.
Mylan is based in Canonsburg, Pa., about 15 miles south of Pittsburgh.
