LANSING, Mich — Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and attorney generals from more than 40 states are going after the nation's largest drug manufacturers.
Photo: OIGatHHS / youtubeThe lawsuit accuses 20 drug companies of manipulating and increasing the prices of over 100 generic drugs.
The drugs range from ointments to anti-depressants and treatments for things like diabetes, cancer, and HIV, among other medical conditions.
Documents filed in federal court in Connecticut say some of the prices of the drugs were increased by more than one thousand percent.
The lawsuit accuses the drug manufacturers of operating under an agreement not to compete with each other for years.
Instead, the companies allegedly settled for what the companies referred to as a "Fair Share" of the market to avoid pushing prices down through competition.
The lawsuit says Teva Pharmaceuticals selected a group of competitors and developed an understanding to lead and follow each other's price increases.
The suit claims this resulted in billions of dollars worth of harm to the U.S. economy.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said, " Michigan patients count on drug manufacturers to keep their prices affordable for life-saving medications. And when they don't, when they collude to raise prices and line their pockets at the expense of the health and well-being of our residents, my office will hold them accountable."
The lawsuit filed by 44 states is seeking an unspecified amount of damages, civil penalties, and actions by the court to help restore competition to the generic drug market.
This is actually the second complaint to be filed in an ongoing investigation that's been referred to as possibly the largest cartel case in the history of the U.S.
The first complaint was filed in 2016.
It now includes 18 corporations, two people, and 15 generic drugs.
That case is still pending in federal court.
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
The lawsuit names the following:
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.
Individual defendants
1. Ara Aprahamian, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A, Inc.
2. David Berthold, Vice President of Sales at Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
3. James Brown, Vice President of Sales at Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
4. Maureen Cavanaugh, former Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer, North America, for Teva
5. Marc Falkin, former Vice President, Marketing, Pricing and Contracts at Actavis
6. James Grauso, former Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations for Aurobindo from December 2011 through January 2014. Since February 2014, Grauso has been employed as the Executive Vice President, N.A. Commercial Operations at Glenmark
7. Kevin Green, former Director of National Accounts at Teva from January 2006 through October 2013. Since November 2013, Green has worked at Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc. as the Vice President of Sales
8. Armando Kellum, former Vice President, Contracting and Business Analytics at Sandoz
9. Jill Nailor, Senior Director of Sales and National Accounts at Greenstone
10. James Nesta, Vice President of Sales at Mylan
11. Kon Ostaficiuk, the President of Camber Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
12. Nisha Patel, former Director of Strategic Customer Marketing and later, Director of National Accounts at Teva.
13. David Rekenthaler, former Vice President, Sales US Generics at Teva
14. Richard Rogerson, former Executive Director of Pricing and Business Analytics at Actavis
15. Tracy Sullivan DiValerio, Director of National Accounts at Lannett
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