States bring price fixing suit against generic drug makers

BOSTON (AP) - Attorneys general from more than 40 states are alleging the nation's largest generic drug manufacturers conspired to artificially inflate and manipulate prices for more than 100 different generic drugs, including treatments for diabetes, cancer, arthritis and other medical conditions.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court Friday, also names 15 individual senior executives responsible for sales, marketing and pricing.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, a Democrat, said investigators obtained emails, text messages and telephone records to prove a multi-year conspiracy against 20 firms.

A spokesman for Teva Pharmaceuticals, one of the companies named in the suit, said Teva hasn't engaged in any conduct that would lead to civil or criminal liability.

Investigators said the drugs account for billions of dollars of sales in the United States.