North Baltimore Journal

BALTIMORE, MD – Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown on June 02, announced that Maryland and 41other states have settled antitrust litigation against the maker of Suboxone, which is a combination of the drugs buprenorphine and naloxone, used to control the effects of opioid addiction. Under the settlement, Indivior, Inc. will pay the plaintiff states $102.5 million. Maryland will receive over $2 million from the settlement. The settlement was filed in federal court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 

In 2016, the states filed a complaint against Indivior Inc. alleging that, in order to preserve its monopoly over the brand-name Suboxone, the company used illegal means in violation of the antitrust laws to switch the Suboxone market from tablets to film, while attempting to destroy the market for tablets.

 “Indivior, Inc.'s actions were contemptible and deprived those suffering from opioid addiction an affordable generic alternative to a potentially life-saving medication,” said Attorney General Brown. “Opioid addiction is a terrible illness that has wreaked havoc and destruction on too many Maryland families and communities. No company is above the law when it comes to the well-being of Marylanders, and I will continue to pursue corporations that exploit their market power at the expense of vulnerable patients.” 

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. 

Original source can be found here.