Nebraska Joins 3rd Complaint In Price-Fixing Investigation Into Generic Drug Industry

LINCOLN- Attorney General Doug Peterson joined a coalition of 51 attorneys general 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.

The new Complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut, focuses on 83 topical generic drugs that account for billions of dollars of sales in the US. 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. 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. 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 lawsuit seeks damages, civil penalties, and actions by the court to restore competition to the generic drug market.