SHARx files defamation lawsuit against AbbVie

SHARx, LLC, a white-glove patient advocacy organization, filed suit in Cook County, Illinois court last week, citing Defamation, Deceptive Business Practices and Tortious Interference. The suit, which was assigned to Judge Mary Roberts, comes 11 months after AbbVie sent letters to patients and industry executives that discouraged them from doing business with SHARx and named them in Patient Assistance Program documents as a company that was ineligible to provide application assistance, SHARx said in a statement. AbbVie also named SHARx in a lawsuit in which SHARx is not a defendant, causing SHARx to miss out on a merger that would have increased its national reach and helped reduce prescription expenses for thousands of Americans, it added. “For six years AbbVie accepted nearly every application our team submitted on behalf of our underinsured members. Without ever contacting SHARx, they cut off our patients, disregarding the needs of those who qualify for their program by their own standards,” said SHARx CEO Corey Durbin. “Companies like AbbVie use bullying tactics to protect their profit-rich turf. Healthcare should work for everyone. SHARx is proud to stand up to their bullying on behalf of our members and clients,” he continued.