HEALTH CARE : Drug Maker Accused of Concealing Side Effects

A lawsuit against Upjohn Co. accuses the drug company of conspiring for 20 years to conceal what the suit called the dangerous side effects of Halcion, the most widely prescribed sleeping pill. The lawsuit was filed in Dallas state district court and seeks $1 billion in damages on behalf of three Halcion users who committed suicide, another who attempted suicide and a fifth who clubbed his father into a coma, the Houston Chronicle reported. The plaintiffs allege that Upjohn, based in Kalamazoo, Mich., relied on falsified clinical studies and paid off researchers “to whitewash Halcion” in an effort to influence the Food and Drug Administration. An Upjohn spokesman refused to comment on the suit.