WV STATEWIRECHARLESTON — West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey announced Tuesday that the state has joined dozens of others in reaching $17.85 million in settlements with two prescription drug companies accused of illegally raising the prices of generic medications.
The agreements involve Lannett Company Inc. and Bausch Health US LLC and Bausch Health Americas Inc., which were accused of taking part in long-running schemes to inflate prices, limit competition and keep generic drug costs artificially high.
Under the settlements, both companies will cooperate with an ongoing multistate lawsuit that targets dozens of other drug manufacturers and executives. They also agreed to make internal changes aimed at preventing future violations of antitrust laws.
The deals follow earlier settlements with Apotex and Heritage Pharmaceuticals that totaled $49.1 million.
Consumers who purchased generic prescription drugs made by Lannett or Bausch between May 2009 and December 2019 may be eligible for compensation. Information about the claims process is available at www.AGGenericDrugs.com, by calling 1-866-290-0182 or by emailing info@AGGenericDrugs.com.
In a related move, West Virginia also joined a 42-state coalition led by Connecticut in filing a new lawsuit against Novartis and its generic subsidiary, Sandoz. That lawsuit accuses the companies of conspiring with competitors to fix prices, divide markets and rig bids for 31 generic drugs.
The complaint also alleges Novartis attempted to avoid liability by shifting assets out of Sandoz before spinning the company off.
