Drug Maker Sues Activist Group, Draws Criticism

The pharmaceutical company Abbott Laboratories is suing Act Up-Paris, an AIDS activist group, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Act Up-Paris organized an online attack on Abbott’s Web site that forced the site to shut down temporarily

The attack was a response to the company’s decision to increase the price of Norvir, one of its AIDS drugs, by 400 percent, and to end plans to introduce a heat-resistant form of another AIDS drug, Kaletra, that was intended for people in Thailand.

Numerous AIDS charities have criticized the company for suing a nonprofit group, but Abbott said it took the action because Act Up-Paris was threatening its business activities.

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