October 08, 2026 ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL SEEKS COURT APPROVAL FOR NATIONWIDE SETTLEMENTS WITH ASCEND, CITRON AND MAYNE OVER CONSPIRACY TO RAISE GENERIC DRUG PRICES AND LIMIT COMPETITION

A coalition of 45 states and territories, led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, filed proposed consent judgments on October 8, 2026 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut resolving antitrust claims against three generic drug manufacturers: Ascend Laboratories, Citron Pharma, and Mayne Pharma. The settlements resolve allegations that each company participated in a widespread, long-running conspiracy to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, allocate markets, and rig bids for hundreds of generic prescription drugs. Under the settlement terms, Ascend will pay approximately $400,000 and Mayne will pay approximately $650,000. Citron agreed to non-monetary terms only because it has ceased business operations. All three companies also agreed to injunctive relief in the form of internal structural reforms designed to ensure compliance with antitrust law going forward. The underlying complaints, filed as three separate lawsuits against nearly 50 generic drug manufacturers, allege that company executives negotiated unlawful agreements at industry dinners, trade shows, and customer conferences, and communicated via telephone, email, and text to allocate customers and coordinate price increases. The defendants allegedly used coded language including "fair share," "playing fair," and "rules of engagement" to enforce an ingrained culture of collusion. In some instances, coordinated price increases exceeded 1,000%. The drugs at issue span the period from May 2009 through December 2019 and include tablets, capsules, suspensions, creams, gels, and ointments across therapeutic classes including statins, ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, antibiotics, antidepressants, contraceptives, and NSAIDs. Prior settlements in the same multi-state litigation with Sandoz, Glenmark, Lannett, Bausch, Apotex, Heritage, and Heritage's parent Emcure have totaled $496.5 million. Litigation against the remaining defendants continues, with trial anticipated in 2027.