AGs Settle with Maker of Suboxone in Antitrust Lawsuit
Maryland and 41 other states – including Delaware – have settled antitrust litigation against the maker of Suboxone which is used to control the effects of opioid addiction. The plaintiff states will receive a total of $102.5-million – Maryland’s share will be over $2-million and according to the Delaware Attorney General’s office, Delaware will receive just over $1-million.
In an effort to preserve its monopoly over the brand-name Suboxone, the maker used illegal means to switch the Suboxone market from tablets to film, while attempting to destroy the market for tablets – a violation of the antitrust laws.
Additional information from the Maryland AG’s press release:
In addition to the payment to the states, the agreement requires Indivior to comply with injunctive terms that include disclosures to the states of all citizen petitions to the FDA, introduction of new products, or if there is a change in corporate control, which will help ensure that Indivior refrains from engaging in the same kind of conduct alleged in the complaint.
Joining Attorney General Brown in the settlement are the Attorneys General of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
