D.C. Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced Friday that Indivior Inc., the maker of the opioid addiction treatment medication Suboxone, will pay the city about $2.3 million as part of a nationwide settlement resolving allegations the company planned an anticompetitive scheme to block generic competition for drug.
The alleged scheme enabled Indivior to extract monopoly profits for Suboxone at the expense of District residents suffering from opioid addiction, who either paid more for Suboxone than they would have without Indivior’s conduct or did not receive treatment at all.
“The opioid epidemic has left a trail of devastation in its wake, affecting communities far and wide, including the District which has the second highest rate of opioid overdose deaths in the nation,” Schwalb said. “In pursuit of higher corporate profit, Indivior sought to illegally block access to less expensive generic medications, making it harder for individuals struggling with addiction to access critical treatment medication. This settlement reaffirms our commitment to using the law to ensure District residents obtain the treatment they need and to hold accountable any company that chooses to put profits over people.”
In addition to paying the settlement, Indivior will stop the type of product-hopping it employed with Suboxone that would similarly extend its monopoly over other drugs and notify the District, and the affected states, if it applies for a new drug application regarding the pharmaceutical, files a citizen petition, introduces new products, or if there is a change in corporate control — all of which will help the states and the city ensure that Indivior refrains from engaging in the same kind of anticompetitive conduct alleged in the complaint.
In addition to the District, 41 states, including neighboring Maryland and Virginia, will receive a part of the settlement.