US: 44 AGs file antitrust suit against drug manufacturers

Attorneys general from West Virginia, Ohio, and 42 other states have filed an antitrust lawsuit against 20 of the nation’s largest generic drug manufacturers.

The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Connecticut, accuses the drugmakers of a conspiracy to “artificially inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition and unreasonably restrain trade” for more than 100 generic drugs.

“The allegations that we have included in the complaint, when proven, are illegal and those who participated in this type of conspiracy must be held accountable,” West Virginia Attorney General Morrisey said.

“Antitrust violations drive up prices for the consumer and, in this instance, it impacts those in desperate need of prescription drugs.”

Authorities said the drugs at issue account for billions of dollars of sales in the United States and that the alleged schemes increased prices affecting the health-insurance market, health-care programs like Medicare and Medicaid, and individuals who must pay artificially-inflated prices for their prescriptions drugs, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said in a news release.