July 27, 2018. Hartley LLP is pursuing claims on behalf of end-payors of the prescription drug ExForge, which is used to treat high blood pressure.
The complaint, filed in the Southern District of New York, alleges that Novartis, Par (now part of Endo) conspired to keep a cheaper generic version of ExForge off the market starting in 2012. Novartis’ patent for ExForge expired in 2012, and under the federal Hatch-Waxman Act, Par Pharmaceuticals was poised to introduce a generic version of ExForge in the U.S.. Instead, Par agreed with Novartis to not bring a generic version to market in exchange for over $100 million in cash value from Novartis. The branded drug ExForge sells over $400 million annually in the United States alone, so with generic versions taking 80% or more of a market at an average discount of 50% off the price, buyers of the drug suffered hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, according to the complaint.
Hartley LLP represents the Turlock Irrigation District, a non-profit that supplies water and electric power to over 100,000 customers.