Leslie Rutledge, Arkansas Attorney General
Arkansas Attorney General Rutledge announced that a federal district court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled in favor of Arkansas and forty-one other states, allowing the coalition to proceed with its antitrust lawsuit against Indivior, Inc. and Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for market manipulation of their product Suboxone, a prescription medication commonly used to treat opioid addiction.
“Thousands of individuals rely on Suboxone to aid them in beating their opioid addiction,” said Attorney General Leslie Rutledge. “Protecting access to lifesaving treatments is crucial to be successful in the war on opioid addiction.”
In a sweeping ruling, federal Judge Mitchell Goldberg denied Indivior, Inc.’s Motion for Summary Judgment, which–if granted–would have effectively ended the lawsuit. The court found facts and established law that would allow the coalition to proceed with the lawsuit.
The States allege that Indivior, Inc. used illegal means to switch the Suboxone market from tablet medication to film medication while simultaneously attempting to destroy the market for tablets, leading to a preservation of the company’s drug monopoly. A trial has not yet been scheduled, but one is expected next year.
Attorney General Rutledge is joined in this victory by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, 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.
Tammy Curtis