Attorney General Rayfield is encouraging consumers to verify their eligibility for compensation related to certain generic drug purchases. This comes as Oregon, along with 50 other states and territories, seeks preliminary approval for a $39.1 million settlement with the generic drug manufacturer Apotex. The settlement addresses allegations of conspiracy to inflate prices and limit competition.
"We’re sending a clear message to these drug companies: you can’t rip off people and get away with it," said Rayfield. "By colluding to jack up prices, they chose greed over the health of consumers. We’re here to make sure these companies pay, and that everyday people aren’t left footing the bill for these unfair practices."
The multistate coalition initially announced the settlement in principle with Apotex last fall, alongside a $10 million settlement with Heritage Pharmaceuticals. The agreement required signatures from all necessary states and territories, which have now been obtained. Consequently, the coalition is filing the settlement today in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut in Hartford.
Consumers who purchased specific generic prescription drugs between May 2009 and December 2019 may be eligible for compensation. To check eligibility, individuals can call 1-866-290-0182 (Toll-Free), email info@AGGenericDrugs.com or visit www.AGGenericDrugs.com.
Oregon is part of a bipartisan coalition that filed three antitrust complaints beginning in 2016 involving more than 100 generic prescription drugs. The Apotex settlement resolves claims that Apotex, Heritage Pharmaceuticals, and other manufacturers engaged in conspiracies to artificially inflate prices, reduce competition, and restrain trade unreasonably. As part of the agreements, both Apotex and Heritage will cooperate in ongoing litigation against 30 corporate defendants and 25 individual executives. They have also agreed to implement internal reforms ensuring fair competition compliance with antitrust laws.
The cases originate from investigations using evidence from cooperating witnesses at the core of various conspiracies, supported by a document database exceeding 20 million documents and phone records detailing millions of calls among sales and pricing personnel within the generics industry. Each complaint targets different drugs and defendants while outlining an interconnected network where industry executives met during events like dinners or golf outings, engaging through frequent calls or messages fostering illegal agreements.
States involved include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Mariana Islands Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Utah U.S Virgin Islands Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Puerto Rico.