Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Just The Tip Of The Iceberg': 20 States Sue Over Alleged Price Fixing, Vow More Action To Come
The New York Times: 20 States Accuse Generic Drug Companies Of Price Fixing
A wide-ranging investigation into generic drug prices took its most significant turn yet on Thursday, as state attorneys general accused two industry leaders, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Mylan, and four smaller companies of engaging in brazen price-fixing schemes — and promised that more charges were coming. A civil complaint filed by 20 states accuses the companies of conspiring to artificially inflate prices on an antibiotic and a diabetes drug, with executives coordinating through informal industry gatherings and personal calls and text messages. (Thomas, 12/15)
The Associated Press: Connecticut Leads 20-State Lawsuit Over Drug Pricing
Six generic drug-makers artificially inflated and manipulated prices to reduce competition for an antibiotic and oral diabetes medication, 20 state attorneys general, led by Connecticut, said in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday. Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen, whose office began its investigation more than two years ago into suspicious price increases of certain generic medications, said his staff “developed compelling evidence of collusion and anticompetitive conduct” among many companies that manufacture and market generic drugs. (12/15)
NPR: States Sue Drug Companies For Price Fixing
The lawsuit alleges that the companies, led by New Jersey-based drug maker Heritage Pharmaceuticals, identified competitors and tried to reach agreements on how they could avoid competing for customers on price. (Kodjak, 12/15)
The Wall Street Journal: States Sue Generic-Drug Companies Over Price-Fixing Allegations
“This is just the beginning of our work,” Mr. Jepsen said in an interview. “We think we have under investigation—and I assume Justice does as well—many more drugs than in this lawsuit and considerably more generic drug manufacturers than are parties to this suit.” “We think that this is kind of the tip of the iceberg,” he added. (Orden, 12/15)
Stat: Six Generic Drug Makers Sued By 20 States For Price Fixing
A government probe into pharmaceutical price fixing widened on Thursday as nearly two dozen state attorneys general filed a lawsuit charging six generic drug companies with collusion in setting prices for two drugs. The lawsuit alleged that between 2013 and 2015 executives from the six companies and their staffs routinely coordinated efforts to fix and maintain prices for doxycycline hyclate, a widely used antibiotic, and glyburide, a diabetes treatment. The companies named were Mylan Pharmaceuticals, Aurobindo, Citron Pharma, Heritage Pharmaceuticals, Mayne Pharma and Teva Pharmaceutical. (Silverman, 12/15)
The CT Mirror: Connecticut Leads 20 States Alleging Price-Fixing In Generic Drugs
Attorney General George Jepsen’s office is leading a multi-state investigation of generic drug companies that culminated Thursday in a federal price-fixing lawsuit filed in Hartford that complements an unfolding criminal antitrust investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice. The lawsuit follows an extensive investigation involving 20 states and was filed after federal authorities unsealed charging documents in Pennsylvania that allege a price-fixing conspiracy by two former executives of Heritage Pharmaceuticals and unnamed co-conspirators. (Pazniokas, 12/15)
The Star Tribune: Lawsuit Alleging Price-Fixing Of Generic Drugs Points To Minnesota Saleswoman
A pharmaceutical saleswoman in Minnesota was a key figure in a conspiracy by six generic drug manufacturers to curtail competition and raise prices, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by the attorney generals of Minnesota and 19 other states. (Olson, 12/15)
