Alabama Joining Antitrust Lawsuit Over Drug Used to Treat Opioid Addiction

 ========= Old Image Removed =========1656889090 
1474650438

Attorney General Luther Strange is joining 35 other Attorneys General in an antitrust lawsuit against the makers of Suboxone, a prescription drug used to treat opioid addiction.

Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals, now known as Indivior, is accused of conspiring with MonoSol Rx to switch Suboxone from a tablet to a film (that dissolves in the mouth) in order to prevent or delay generic alternatives and maintain monopoly profits.

The Attorneys General allege that this was an illegal move called “product hopping,” where a company makes modest changes to its product to extend patent protections so other companies can’t enter the market and offer cheaper generic alternatives.

Suboxone is a brand-name prescription drug used to treat heroin and other opioid addictions by easing addiction cravings. No generic alternative is currently available.

“The proliferation of opioid addictions is a tragedy in America and particularly in Alabama,” Strange says. “Antitrust laws exist to protect consumers from unscrupulous trade practices that stifle fair competition. This lawsuit seeks to stop Indivior from doing so, and to provide relief for consumers who were harmed.”

Alabama is particularly sensitive to the opioid epidemic. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and prevention found that Alabama was among a handful of states with the highest number of opioid prescriptions per person.

 

 

How Trump’s big beautiful bill aims to ‘supercharge’ immigration enforcement

The bill includes a major federal investment for President Trump's mass deportation plans, while also limiting eligibility for some safety net programs based on immigration status.

U.K. High Court slams MI5 over informant deception and lack of transparency

A ruling by London's High Court cited the domestic intelligence agency's failure to explain why representatives had repeatedly misled U.K. courts about an informant accused of violence against women.

Actor Michael Madsen, known for ‘Kill Bill’ and ‘Reservoir Dogs,’ dead at 67

His representatives confirmed that his death followed a cardiac arrest this morning.

Abrego Garcia says he was severely beaten in Salvadoran prison

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported from the U.S. in March, says he was brutally beaten and subjected to psychological torture while held in one of El Salvador's most notorious prisons.

Netherlands police embrace a public health approach to drugs. Will it work in the South?

Despite the opioid crisis’ deadly toll, U.S police treat drug use as a criminal issue. But in the Netherlands, a public health approach has seen better results.

Pope Leo’s scandal-plagued hometown sees a bright future in buying his childhood home

Pope Leo grew up in a small brick house in the Chicago suburb of Dolton which is now up for auction. The village's board of trustees voted to buy it, in the hopes of creating a historic attraction.

More Front Page Coverage