Cigna, one of the country's largest health insurers, filed a lawsuit this week accusing dozens of generic drugmakers of breaking national and state antitrust laws by fixing prices.
The lawsuit, filed June 9 in a Pennsylvania district court, alleges the drugmakers conspired to fix, increase, stabilize or maintain prices of generic drugs, allocate customers and markets and rig bids for generic drugs in violation of federal and state antitrust and competition laws.
A similar lawsuit was filed by all 50 states June 10 accusing 26 drugmakers of a price-fixing scheme.
Cigna wrote that the drugmakers orchestrated the conspiracy through secret communications and meetings. The scheme increased the drugmakers' profits at the expense of many customers, including Cigna, the lawsuit alleges.
"This scheme to fix, increase, stabilize or maintain prices, allocate customers and markets, and rig bids for generic pharmaceutical drugs, and otherwise stifle competition caused, and continues to cause, significant harm to the United States healthcare system," the lawsuit states.
Cigna is seeking damages incurred from overcharges it paid for generic drugs.
Find the full lawsuit here.