Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton Takes on Makers of Plavix

November 21, 2025 – Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a lawsuit against pharmaceutical giants Sanofi and Bristol-Myers Squibb, accusing them of deceiving patients and doctors about the effectiveness of the widely prescribed blood-thinner Plavix. The suit alleges that the companies withheld critical information showing the drug did not work properly for large groups of patients, particularly Black, East Asian, and Pacific Islander individuals, despite marketing it as a reliable preventive treatment for heart attacks, strokes, and blood clots.

Plavix, also sold generically as clopidogrel bisulfate, is intended to prevent blood platelets from clumping together. According to the complaint, the manufacturers knew for years that genetic factors caused the medication to have diminished or no effect for many patients. Paxton argues that the companies continued promoting the drug as broadly effective while failing to warn consumers or prescribing physicians, resulting in patients receiving what he describes as an inadequate and potentially dangerous treatment.

The lawsuit claims Sanofi and Bristol-Myers Squibb made billions of dollars by hiding these deficiencies and placing profits over patient safety. Paxton contends their conduct violates the Texas Health Care Program Fraud Prevention Act as well as state consumer protection laws.

In announcing the suit, Paxton said the companies must be held accountable for endangering vulnerable patients and misleading the public. The state is seeking significant penalties and restitution.