Connecticut attorney general leads 20-state lawsuit against drug companies

Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen has taken the lead in a federal lawsuit filed by 20 states against six generic drug-makers, charging them in a price-fixing scheme involving the antibiotic Doxycycline Hyclate and the oral diabetes medication Glyburide. The lawsuit was filed under seal in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.

The six companies being sued ”“ Heritage Pharmaceuticals Inc., Aurobindo Pharma USA Inc., Citron Pharma, LLC, Mayne Pharma (USA) Inc., Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. ”“ are being accused of conspiracy “to unreasonably restrain trade, artificially inflate and manipulate prices and reduce competition in the United States,” according to a statement issued by Jepsen”™s office, which began its investigation in July 2014 following what it called “suspicious price increases of certain generic pharmaceuticals.”

“While the principal architect of the conspiracies addressed in this lawsuit was Heritage Pharmaceuticals, we have evidence of widespread participation in illegal conspiracies across the generic drug industry,” Jepsen stated in announcing the lawsuit. “Ultimately, it was consumers ”“ and, indeed, our health care system as a whole ”“ who paid for these actions through artificially high prices for generic drugs. We intend to pursue this and other enforcement actions aggressively, and look forward to working with our colleagues across the country to restore competition and integrity to this important market.”