PHILADELPHIA -- The city of New York has sued drug maker GlaxoSmithKline, claiming that the company engaged in "anticompetitive, fraudulent, and inequitable conduct," when it acquired patents for its anti-depressant Paxil.

The suit, filed in federal court in Philadelphia, accuses the company of unfairly keeping generic versions of the drug off the market by obtaining more than a dozen "frivolous" patents on Paxil over the past decade.

The complaint accused the company of violating antitrust laws and seeks repayment of the millions of dollars the city has spent purchasing Paxil for New York residents through the Medicaid program.