Californians who bought certain generic drugs between May 2009 and December 2019 may be owed money, Attorney General said Sept. 24, and he urged them to file claims before the March 8, 2027, deadline.

This month the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut gave preliminary approval to a plan for paying that money out. California filed the plan with a coalition of 47 other states and territories.

The money comes from settlements the coalition previously announced with Glenmark, Lannett, Bausch, Apotex, Heritage and Heritage’s parent company, Emcure, totaling about $96.5 million. The companies were accused of illegally conspiring to raise generic drug prices; the plan aims to return millions of dollars of the settlement money to people who paid the higher prices.

Consumers can check whether a drug they bought is covered, and file a claim, at www.AGGenericDrugs.com, by calling 1-866-290-0182 toll-free or by emailing info@AGGenericDrugs.com.

“As a result of our efforts to hold generic drug manufacturers accountable for illegally conspiring to drive up prices, consumers may now be eligible to receive compensation,” Bonta said. “I encourage anyone who purchased an eligible medication to take a few minutes to check their eligibility and submit a claim to recover money they may be owed.”

The settlements are one part of antitrust litigation the states began in 2016. The attorney general’s office says the cases rest on evidence from cooperating witnesses, millions of documents and a large database of phone records, and that the complaints describe defendants using phrases such as “fair share” and “playing nice in the sandbox” to discourage competition. Seven pharmaceutical executives are cooperating with the states.

Other claims are still being fought. A complaint over 80 topical generic drugs, naming 26 companies and 10 executives, is set to be tried first, and the states filed a fourth complaint this year against Novartis and two Sandoz companies. Those allegations have not been proven in court.

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Rob Bonta

Attorney General · Democrat

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