Salem, Oregon – This week, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said that two big pharmaceutical companies have agreed to pay a total of $17.85 million to settle claims that they were involved in long-running conspiracies to raise prices and limit competition in the generic medication market.
The settlements were made with Lannett Company, Inc., Bausch Health US, LLC, and Bausch Health Americas, Inc. after an investigation that involved almost every state and a few U.S. territories.
State officials say that the agreements deal with charges that the companies worked with their competitors to raise prices, lower competition, and limit trade for a wide spectrum of generic prescription pharmaceuticals that people take all the time. The conduct is alleged to have taken place over several years and affected medications relied on by millions of patients nationwide.
Rayfield said that the outcome is meant to protect people who need cheap generic medications.
“For many working families, generic drugs are the difference between being able to afford their medication and going without it,” said Attorney General Rayfield.
“When drug companies collude to raise prices and shut out competition, they made those essential medications more expensive for families who depend on them. This settlement is about accountability – and about putting people over profits.”
In addition to the money, Lannett and Bausch have both committed to help with ongoing antitrust actions in multiple states led by Connecticut. These cases are against dozens of companies and individual executives, and they are slated to go to trial in late 2026. The corporations have also promised to make changes within their own organizations that will make it easier to follow antitrust laws and encourage fair competition.
The new settlements come after settlements with other drug companies, such as Apotex and Heritage, that were worth a total of $49.1 million. State officials believe that the cases are based on plenty of evidence, such as millions of documents, detailed phone records, and information from witnesses in the generics industry who are willing to help.
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People who bought generic prescription medications made by Lannett or Bausch between May 2009 and December 2019 may be able to get money back through the settlements. To determine your eligibility, call 1-866-290-0182 (Toll-Free), email [email protected] » or visit www.AGGenericDrugs.com ».
At the same time, Oregon and dozens of other states announced they are filing a new lawsuit against Novartis and its generic subsidiary, Sandoz. That complaint says that there is a distinct, wide-ranging conspiracy to fix pricing and change markets for more generic pharmaceuticals. This is the most recent step in a national attempt to deal with suspected wrongdoing in the pharmaceutical sector.
