Attorney General Alan Wilson has 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 (including Bausch Health Americas, Inc.). The settlements resolve claims that both companies participated in conspiracies to inflate prices and limit competition for various generic prescription drugs.
According to the agreements, Lannett and Bausch will cooperate with ongoing multistate litigation led by Connecticut against 30 corporate defendants and 25 individual executives. The companies have also agreed to implement internal reforms aimed at ensuring fair competition and compliance with antitrust laws.
These new settlements follow earlier agreements with Apotex and Heritage that totaled $49.1 million. As the states prepare for the first trial in Hartford, Connecticut—expected in late 2026—the litigation continues against several other pharmaceutical companies.
Consumers who purchased certain generic prescription drugs between May 2009 and December 2019 may be eligible for compensation. For more information about eligibility or how to file a claim, individuals can call 1-866-290-0182, 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’s participation is part of a broader coalition effort involving nearly all U.S. states and territories since 2016. The first complaint named Heritage Pharmaceuticals among others; subsequent complaints targeted additional manufacturers such as Teva Pharmaceuticals. Several former executives have settled or are cooperating as witnesses.
The cases are built on evidence including testimony from cooperating witnesses at the center of the alleged conspiracies, a database of over 20 million documents, phone records involving hundreds of sales personnel in the generics industry, as well as contemporaneous notes from company insiders documenting meetings and communications between competitors.
Throughout court filings, terms like “fair share,” “playing nice in the sandbox,” and “responsible competitor” reportedly describe efforts by some defendants to discourage competition and enforce collusion within the industry.
Nearly every state—including South Carolina—has joined this initiative alongside Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands, among others.
The South Carolina Attorney General serves as the state’s primary legal advocate responsible for enforcing laws related to consumer protection as well as collaborating on criminal prosecutions across South Carolina (https://www.scag.gov/about-the-office/news/). Alan Wilson currently leads this office (https://www.scag.gov/about-the-office/news/), which operates statewide (https://www.scag.gov/about-the-office/news/) supporting victims of crime through advocacy while contributing to community safety (https://www.scag.gov/about-the-office/news/).
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