Kentucky attorney general sues dialysis company over product

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - Kentucky's attorney general is accusing a medical company of Medicaid fraud for allegedly promoting a kidney dialysis product it knew was harmful to patients.

Attorney General Andy Beshear is suing Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Inc. His lawsuit, filed in Franklin County Circuit Court, says Fresenius is the nation's largest provider of kidney dialysis and renal care products, treatment and services.

Beshear says the company put patients at risk with its GranuFlo product, which was used in screening blood to remove impurities during dialysis. He says the company concealed the product's risks of causing heart attacks, strokes or arrhythmia.

He says the federal government issued a 2012 recall for the product.

Fresenius spokesman Kent Jarrell said the company's actions "were appropriate, responsible and consistent with the company's commitment to patient safety."