BOISE, Idaho (CBS2) — If you or your business bought generic prescription drugs in Idaho between May 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2019, you may be eligible for compensation under new multistate settlements totaling $17.85 million.
Earlier this month, Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador joined a coalition of 48 states and territories in announcing settlements with Lannett Company Inc. and Bausch Health US LLC, along with Bausch Health Americas Inc. The agreements resolve allegations that the companies took part in “widespread, long-running conspiracies to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition, and unreasonably restrain trade” for numerous generic prescription drugs.
“These drug companies conspired to rig prices and eliminate competition, forcing Idaho families to pay artificially inflated costs for necessary medications,” Labrador said. “Through settlements so far, we’ve secured significant money for consumers, and we continue to pursue many more corporate defendants who participated in this scheme. Any Idahoan who paid for these generic drugs deserves to file a claim and get some money back.”
As part of the settlement agreements, Lannett and Bausch agreed to cooperate in ongoing multistate litigation against 30 corporate defendants and 25 individual executives. The companies also agreed to internal reforms aimed at ensuring fair competition and compliance with antitrust laws.
The Lannett and Bausch settlements follow prior settlements with Apotex and Heritage totaling $49.1 million.
The settlements come as states prepare for the first trial in the generic drug price-fixing cases. The trial will be held in Connecticut and is anticipated to be scheduled in late 2026.
To determine eligibility for compensation, residents can call 1-866-290-0182, email info@AGGenericDrugs.com, or visit www.AGGenericDrugs.com.
Idaho is one of only two states in the multistate coalition that also secured restitution for businesses impacted by the alleged price-fixing conspiracies. Businesses in Idaho that indirectly purchased the drugs — meaning they bought the drug from someone other than the manufacturer — and paid for and/or provided reimbursement for some or all of the purchase price for one or more of the listed generic prescription drugs between May 2009 and December 2019 may be eligible for compensation. More information is available at https://www.aggenericdrugs.com/English/CorporateEntities.
The attorneys general have partnered on three lawsuits against generic drug manufacturers. The cases stem from investigations that included evidence from cooperating witnesses, a document database of more than 20 million documents, and a phone records database containing millions of call records and contact information for more than 600 sales and pricing individuals in the generic drug industry.
Each complaint addresses a different set of drugs and defendants and describes what the states call an interconnected web of industry executives who met with and communicated frequently with each other. The complaints also allege defendants used terms such as “fair share,” “playing nice in the sandbox,” and “responsible competitor” to describe how they discouraged competition, raised prices and enforced what the states describe as a culture of collusion.