Attorney General Dave Sunday has called upon consumers to check their eligibility for refunds related to certain generic drugs. This follows Pennsylvania's involvement in a multistate coalition seeking court approval for a $39.1 million settlement with Apotex, a generic drug manufacturer, over accusations of price-fixing conspiracies.
The Office of Attorney General, along with the multistate coalition, had previously announced settlements with Apotex and Heritage Pharmaceuticals, the latter involving a $10 million agreement. The settlement with Apotex has now been signed by all requisite states and territories and is being filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
Consumers who purchased specific generic drugs between May 2009 and December 2019 can determine their eligibility for compensation by contacting the provided toll-free number, email, or website.
Attorney General Sunday remarked, “Generic prescription drug manufacturers are supposed to offer Pennsylvanians high-quality products at lower prices. In this case, these pharmaceutical companies did just the opposite and conspired to fix prices that were too high while limiting competition for consumers. This settlement offers financial restitution to numerous Pennsylvanians who overpaid for these products.”
The settlements address accusations that both Apotex and Heritage engaged in long-standing conspiracies to increase prices and limit competition. Both companies have agreed to cooperate with the ongoing litigation involving 30 corporate defendants and 25 individual executives. They also committed to internal reforms to ensure competitive practices and antitrust compliance.
Pennsylvania, alongside almost all other states and territories, has filed three antitrust complaints since 2016. The initial complaint, involving Heritage, named multiple corporate and individual defendants. Subsequent complaints were filed against other large manufacturers like Teva Pharmaceuticals, and many senior executives and companies implicated in the market.
This multistate initiative includes participation from 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, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and Puerto Rico.