A wide-reaching lawsuit unsealed June 24 claims Teva Pharmaceuticals, subsidiaries of Pfizer and 18 other major drugmakers conspired to fix prices for more than 100 drugs and used code words in emails and phone calls cover up their actions, according to WBUR News.
The 510-page federal lawsuit was filed in May by attorneys general from 44 states who claim the nation's largest generic drugmakers were part of a nationwide price-fixing scheme involving generic HIV medications, asthma treatments, oral antibiotics, blood thinners, cancer drugs, contraceptives, antidepressants and other drugs.
The lawsuit, which contained unredacted emails and phone records, claims the drugmakers used phrases like "playing nice in the sandbox" and "fluff pricing" in emails and calls to one another.
"In their own words, industry officials sought to cover up the conspiracy that we have alleged in our complaint" Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh told legal news site Law 360.
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