Indivior, the maker of the medication for opioid use disorder Suboxone, settled with multiple states and the District of Columbia for $102.5 million over its alleged anticompetitive practices, the Washington Post reports.
The 42 bipartisan attorneys general in the lawsuit, led by the state of Wisconsin, claimed that the company made changes to Suboxone, the brand name for buprenorphine, in order to prevent generic versions from competing in the market. In addition to the financial settlement, the deal requires Indivior to inform states of changes to the drug or the company.
North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, whose state participated in the lawsuit, said of the settlement, “When drug companies manipulate the market to make more money, they put people’s lives on the line. This agreement will help ensure that people who need life-saving medication to address their substance use disorder can get it.”