Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that South Carolina, along with 47 other states and territories, has reached settlements totaling $17.85 million with Lannett Company, Inc. and Bausch Health US, LLC and Bausch Health Americas, Inc. The settlements resolve allegations that the companies engaged in conspiracies to inflate prices and limit competition for various generic prescription drugs.
The agreements require both companies to cooperate in ongoing multistate litigation led by Connecticut against 30 corporate defendants and 25 individual executives. Additionally, Lannett and Bausch have agreed to implement internal reforms aimed at promoting fair competition and complying with antitrust laws.
These latest settlements follow previous agreements with Apotex and Heritage totaling $49.1 million. The series of cases are set to proceed toward the first trial in Hartford, Connecticut, expected in late 2026.
Consumers who purchased certain generic prescription drugs between May 2009 and December 2019 may be eligible for compensation related to these settlements. For more information about eligibility or to file a claim, individuals can call 1-866-290-0182 (Toll-Free), email [email protected], or visit www.AGGenericDrugs.com.
“It’s infuriating that these individuals and companies conspired to raise the prices of these generic drugs that people rely on,” Attorney General Wilson said. “Our office continues to work with other states and territories on these complex cases to protect our citizens and hold accountable the people who break our laws.”
South Carolina is part of an extensive coalition involved in antitrust litigation beginning in 2016. The initial complaint included Heritage Pharmaceuticals among others as defendants involving multiple generic drugs. Since then, several executives have entered into settlement agreements and are cooperating with authorities.
The investigations leading up to these complaints were based on evidence from cooperating witnesses within the industry, a database containing over 20 million documents, phone records from more than 600 sales personnel, as well as detailed notes documenting interactions among competitors at industry events.
Documents revealed language such as “fair share,” “playing nice in the sandbox,” and “responsible competitor” used by defendants when discussing their actions discouraging competition or raising prices.
A broad group of states—including Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota; Mississippi; Montana; Nebraska; Nevada; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Northern Mariana Islands; Ohio; Oklahoma; Oregon; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Utah; U.S. Virgin Islands; Vermont; Virginia; Washington State ; West Virginia ; Wisconsin ; Wyoming ; Puerto Rico—joined this announcement.
The South Carolina Attorney General serves as the state’s chief legal advocate responsible for prosecutions and regulatory enforcement across consumer protection matters statewide. Alan Wilson currently leads this office which also collaborates closely with law enforcement agencies throughout South Carolina.
