ATTORNEY GENERAL ALAN WILSON JOINS COALITION FILING 3RD COMPLAINT IN ONGOING ANTITRUST PRICE-FIXING INVESTIGATION INTO GENERIC DRUG INDUSTRY

Complaint Names 26 Corporate Defendants, 10 Individual Defendants in Conspiracy to Fix Prices and Allocate Markets for at least 80 Generic Topical Dermatological Drugs

Ongoing Investigation Built on Evidence from Multiple Cooperating Witnesses, Over 20 Million Documents, Phone Record Database Containing Millions of Call Detail Records for Over 600 Sales and Pricing Individuals

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – June 10, 2020 - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson joined a coalition of 51 states and territories led by Connecticut filing the third lawsuit stemming from the ongoing antitrust investigation into a widespread conspiracy by generic drug manufacturers to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition, and unreasonably restrain trade for generic drugs sold across the United States. This new Complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, focuses on 80 topical generic drugs that account for billions of dollars of sales in the United States. The Complaint names 26 corporate Defendants and 10 individual Defendants. The lawsuit seeks damages, civil penalties, and actions by the court to restore competition to the generic drug market.

The topical drugs at the center of the Complaint include creams, gels, lotions, ointments, shampoos, and solutions used to treat a variety of skin conditions, pain, and allergies.

“Generic drugs are supposed to save customers money, but we’re alleging that these companies forced people to pay a lot more than they should have by conspiring to raise prices,” Attorney General Wilson said.

The Complaint stems from an ongoing investigation built on evidence from several cooperating witnesses at the core of the conspiracy, a massive document database of over 20 million documents, and a phone records database containing millions of call detail records and contact information for over 600 sales and pricing individuals in the generics industry. Among the records obtained by the States is a two-volume notebook containing the contemporaneous notes of one of the States’ cooperators that memorialized his discussions during phone calls with competitors and internal company meetings over a period of several years.

Between 2007 and 2014, three generic drug manufacturers, Taro, Perrigo, and Fougera (now Sandoz) sold nearly two-thirds of all generic topical products dispensed in the United States. The multistate investigation has uncovered comprehensive, direct evidence of unlawful agreements to minimize competition and raise prices on dozens of topical products. The Complaint alleges longstanding agreements among manufacturers to ensure a “fair share” of the market for each competitor, and to prevent “price erosion” due to competition.

The Complaint is the third to be filed in an ongoing, expanding investigation that the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General has referred to as possibly the largest domestic corporate cartel case in the history of the United States. The first Complaint, still pending in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, was filed in 2016 and now includes 18 corporate Defendants, two individual Defendants, and 15 generic drugs. Two former executives from Heritage Pharmaceuticals, Jeffery Glazer and Jason Malek, have entered into settlement agreements and are cooperating with the Attorneys General working group in that case. The second Complaint, also pending in the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, was filed in 2019 against Teva Pharmaceuticals and 19 of the nation’s largest generic drug manufacturers. The Complaint names 16 individual senior executive Defendants. The States are currently preparing for trial on that Complaint.

Corporate Defendants:

1. Sandoz, Inc.
2. Actavis Holdco U.S., Inc.
3. Actavis Elizabeth LLC
4. Actavis Pharma, Inc.
5. Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
6. Amneal Pharmaceuticals, LLC
7. Aurobindo Pharma USA, Inc.
8. Bausch Health Americas, Inc.
9. Bausch Health, US LLC
10. Fougera Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
11. G&W Laboratories, Inc.
12. Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA
13. Greenstone LLC
14. Lannett Company, Inc.
15. Lupin Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
16. Mallinckrodt Inc.
17. Mallinckrodt plc
18. Mallinckrodt LLC
19. Mylan Inc.
20. Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc.
21. Perrigo New York, Inc.
22. Pfizer, Inc.
23. Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Inc.
24. Taro Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
25. Teligent, Inc.
26. Wockhardt USA, LLC

Individual Defendants:

1. Ara Aprahamian, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Defendant Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A, Inc.

2. Mitchell Blashinsky, the Vice President of Marketing for Generics at Defendant Taro Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc. from January 2007 through May 2012, and Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Defendant Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA from June 2012 through March 2014.

3. Douglas Boothe, the Chief Executive Officer of Defendant Actavis from August 2008 through December 2012 and the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Defendant Perrigo New York, Inc. from January 2013 through July 2016.

4. James Grauso, the former Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Defendant G&W Laboratories from January 2010 through December 2011; the Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations for Defendant Aurobindo from December 2011 through January 2014; and the Executive Vice President, N.A. Commercial Operations at Defendant Glenmark from February 2014 to the present.

5. Walt Kaczmarek, the Senior Director, National Accounts, Vice President, National Accounts and Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations from November 2004 through November 2012 for Fougera Pharmaceuticals, a division of Nycomed US, Inc. (currently part of Defendant Sandoz, Inc.), and Vice President - General Manager, and President, Multi-Source Pharmaceuticals from November 2013 through August 2016 for Defendant Mallinckrodt.

6. Armando Kellum, the former Vice President, Contracting and Business Analytics at Sandoz.

7. Kurt Orlofski, the President and Chief Executive Officer from April 2007 through August 2009 for Defendant Wockhardt USA, and President of Defendant G&W Labs, Inc. from September 2009 through December 2016.

8. Mike Perfetto, the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Defendant Actavis from August 2003 through January 2013, and the Chief Commercial Officer for Defendant Taro from January 2013 through his recent retirement from the company.

9. Erika Vogel-Baylor, the former Vice President for Sales and Marketing for Defendant G&W Labs, Inc. since July 2011.

10. John Wesolowski, the Senior Vice President of Commercial Operations for Defendant Perrigo since February 2004.

Drugs listed in the complaint as subject to price-fixing and market allocation agreements:

1. Acetazolamide Tablets

2. Adapalene Cream

3. Alclometasone Dipropionate Cream

4. Alclometasone Dipropionate Ointment

5. Ammonium Lactate Cream

6. Ammonium Lactate Lotion

7. Betamethasone Dipropionate Cream

8. Betamethasone Dipropionate Lotion

9. Betamethasone Valerate Cream

10. Betamethasone Valerate Lotion

11. Betamethasone Valerate Ointment

12. Bromocriptine Mesylate Tablets

13. Calcipotriene Solution

14. Calcipotriene Betamethasone Dipropionate Ointment

15. Carbamazepine ER Tablets

16. Cefpodoxime Proxetil Oral Suspension

17. Cefpodoxime Proxetil Tablets

18. Ciclopirox Cream

19. Ciclopirox Shampoo

20. Ciclopirox Solution

21. Clindamycin Phosphate Cream

22. Clindamycin Phosphate Gel

23. Clindamycin Phosphate Lotion

24. Clindamycin Phosphate Solution

25. Clobetasol Propionate Cream

26. Clobetasol Propionate Emollient Cream

27. Clobetasol Propionate Gel

28. Clobetasol Propionate Ointment

29. Clobetasol Propionate Solution

30. Clotrimazole 1% Cream

31. Clotrimazole Betamethasone Dipropionate Cream

32. Clotrimazole Betamethasone Dipropionate Lotion

33. Desonide Cream

34. Desonide Lotion

35. Desonide Ointment

36. Desoximetasone Ointment

37. Econazole Nitrate Cream

38. Eplerenone Tablets

39. Erythromycin Base/Ethyl Alcohol Solution

40. Ethambutol HCL Tablets

41. Fluocinolone Acetonide Cream

42. Fluocinolone Acetonide Ointment

43. Fluocinonide .1% Cream

44. Fluocinonide Gel

45. Fluocinonide Ointment

46. Fluocinonide Solution

47. Fluticasone Propionate Lotion

48. Griseofulvin Microsize Tablets

49. Halobetasol Propionate Cream

50. Halobetasol Propionate Ointment

51. Hydrocortisone Acetate Suppositories

52. Hydrocortisone Valerate Cream

53. Imiquimod Cream

54. Ketoconazole Cream

55. Latanoprost Drops

56. Lidocaine Ointment

57. Methazolamide Tablets

58. Methylphenidate HCL Tablets

59. Methylphenidate HCL ER Tablets

60. Metronidazole Cream

61. Metronidazole .75% Gel

62. Metronidazole .1% Gel

63. Metronidazole Lotion

64. Mometasone Furoate Cream

65. Mometasone Furoate Ointment

66. Mometasone Furoate Solution

67. Nafcillin Sodium Injectable Vials

68. Nystatin Ointment

69. Nystatin Triamcinolone Cream

70. Nystatin Triamcinolone Ointment

71. Oxacillin Sodium Injectable Vials

72. Phenytoin Sodium ER Capsules

73. Pioglitazone HCL Metformin HCL Tablets

74. Prochlorperazine Maleate Suppositories

75. Promethazine HCL Suppositories

76. Tacrolimus Ointment

77. Terconazole Cream

78. Triamcinolone Acetonide Cream

79. Triamcinolone Acetonide Ointment

80. Triamcinolone Acetonide Paste

Attorney General Wilson joined the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Territory of Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin in filing the complaint.

You can read the complaint HERE.