Oregon AG joins states suing generic drug manufacturers

Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum joined 43 states in a lawsuit filed Friday against Teva Pharmaceuticals and 19 of the nation’s largest generic drug manufacturers alleging a broad conspiracy to inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition and restrain trade for more than 100 different generic drugs.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, also names 15 individual senior executive defendants who were responsible for sales, marketing, pricing and operations.

The drugs include tablets, capsules, suspensions, creams, gels, ointments, and classes, including statins, ace inhibitors, beta blockers, antibiotics, anti-depressants, contraceptives, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

These drugs treat a range of diseases and conditions from basic infections to diabetes, cancer, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, HIV, ADHD, and more. In some instances, the coordinated price increases were over 1,000 percent.

“These generic drugs make up a significant portion of the marketplace, and account for billions of dollars of sales in the United States,” Rosenblum said. “We allege that companies and executives conspired together to increase the prices of these important generic drugs that so many Americans depend on, and we all felt the effects.

“This alleged scheme meant higher prices for the health insurance market, Medicare and Medicaid, as well as individuals who depend on the drugs. We will not let these company take advantage of Oregonians,” she added.

The complaint alleges that Teva, Sandoz, Mylan, Pfizer and 16 other generic drug manufacturers engaged in a coordinated campaign to conspire to fix prices, allocate markets and rig bids for the different generic drugs.

The complaint lays out an interconnected web of industry executives where these competitors met with each other during industry dinners, “girls’ nights out,” lunches, cocktail parties, golf outings and communicated via frequent telephone calls, emails and text messages that sowed the seeds for their illegal agreements.

The lawsuit seeks damages, civil penalties and actions by the court to restore competition to the generic drug market.

The complaint is the second in an ongoing, expanding muli-state investigation. The first lawsuit, still pending in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, was filed in 2016 and now includes 18 corporate defendants, two individual defendants, and references 15 generic drugs.

In addition to Oregon, other states who joined the suit include: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico.

Corporate Defendants

1. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.

2. Sandoz, Inc.

3. Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.

4. Actavis Holdco US, Inc.

5. Actavis Pharma, Inc.

6. Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

7. Apotex Corp.

8. Aurobindo Pharma U.S.A., Inc.

9. Breckenridge Pharmaceutical, Inc.

10. Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Inc.

11. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc. USA

12. Greenstone LLC

13. Lannett Company, Inc.

14. Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

15. Par Pharmaceutical Companies, Inc.

16. Pfizer, Inc.

17. Taro Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.

18. Upsher-Smith Laboratories, LLC

19. Wockhardt USA, LLC

20. Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA), Inc.

Drugs listed in the complaint as subject to price-fixing and market allocation agreements:

1. Adapalene Gel

2. Amiloride HCL/HCTZ Tablets

3. Amoxicillin/Clavulanate Chewable Tablets

4. Amphetamine/Dextroamphetamine ER (aka Mixed Amphetamine Salts)

5. Amphetamine/Dextroamphetamine IR

6. Azithromycin Oral Suspension

7. Azithromycin Suspension

8. Baclofen Tablets

9. Benazepril HCTZ

10. Bethanechol Chloride Tablets

11. Budesonide DR Capsules

12. Budesonide Inhalation

13. Bumetanide Tablets

14. Buspirone Hydrochloride Tablets

15. Cabergoline

16. Capecitabine

17. Carbamazepine Chewable Tablets

18. Carbamazepine Tablets

19. Cefdinir Capsules

20. Cefdinir Oral Suspension

21. Cefprozil Tablets

22. Celecoxib

23. Cephalexin Suspension

24. Cimetidine Tablets

25. Ciprofloxacin Tablets

26. Clarithromycin ER Tablets

27. Clemastine Fumarate Tablets

28. Clomipramine HCL

29. Clonidine TTS Patch

30. Clotrimazole Topical Solution

31. Cyproheptadine HCL Tablets

32. Desmopressin Acetate Tablets

33. Desogestrel/Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets (Kariva)

34. Dexmethylphenidate

35. Dextroamphetamine Sulfate ER

36. Diclofenac Potassium Tablets

37. Dicloxacillin Sodium Capsules

38. Diflunisal Tablets

39. Diltiazem HCL Tablets

40. Disopyramide Phosphate Capsules

41. Doxazosin Mesylate Tablets

42. Drospirenone and ethinyl estradiol (Ocella)

43. Enalapril Maleate Tablets

44. Entecavir

45. Epitol Tablets

46. Estazolam Tablets

47. Estradiol Tablets

48. Ethinyl estradiol and levonorgestrel (Portia and Jolessa)

49. Ethosuximide Capsules

50. Ethosuximide Oral Solution

51. Etodolac ER Tablets

52. Etodolac Tablets

53. Fenofibrate

54. Fluconazole Tablets

55. Fluocinonide Cream

56. Fluocinonide Emolient Cream

57. Fluocinonide Gel

58. Fluocinonide Ointment

59. Fluoxetine HCL Tablets

60. Flurbiprofen Tablets

61. Flutamide Capsules

62. Fluvastatin Sodium Capsules

63. Gabapentin Tablets

64. Glimepiride Tablets

65. Griseofulvin Suspension

66. Haloperidol

67. Hydroxyurea Capsules

68. Hydroxyzine Pamoate Capsules

69. Irbesartan

70. Isoniazid

71. Ketoconazole Cream

72. Ketoconazole Tablets

73. Ketoprofen Capsules

74. Ketorolac Tromethamine Tablets

75. Labetalol HCL Tablets

76. Lamivudine/Zidovudine (generic Combivir)

77. Levothyroxine

78. Loperamide HCL Capsules

79. Medroxyprogesterone Tablets

80. Methotrexate Tablets

81. Mimvey (Estradiol/Noreth) Tablets

82. Moexipril HCL Tablets

83. Moexipril HCL/HCTZ Tablets

84. Nabumetone Tablets

85. Nadolol Tablets

86. Niacin ER Tablets

87. Nitrofurantoin MAC Capsules

88. Norethindrone/ethinyl estradiol (Balziva)

89. Northindrone Acetate

90. Nortriptylline Hydrochloride Capsules

91. Omega-3-Acid Ethyl Esters

92. Oxaprozin Tablets

93. Oxybutynin Chloride Tablets

94. Paricalcitol

95. Penicillin VK Tablets

96. Pentoxifylline Tablets

97. Piroxicam

98. Pravastatin Sodium Tablets

99. Prazosin HCL Capsules

100. Prochlorperazine Tablets

101. Propranolol HCL Tablets

102. Raloxifine HCL Tablets

103. Ranitidine HCL Tablets

104. Tamoxifen Citrate Tablets

105. Temozolomide

106. Tizanidine

107. Tobramycin

108. Tolmetin Sodium Capsules

109. Tolterodine ER

110. Tolterodine Tartrate

111. Topiramate Sprinkle Capsules

112. Trifluoperazine HCL

113. Valsartan HCTZ

114. Warfarin Sodium Tablets