Connecticut, New York and 33 other states are suing the makers of the prescription drug Suboxone, a drug used to treat opioid addiction by easing cravings.
The suit, filed last week, alleges that the U.K.-based maker of the drug blocked generic competitors from entering the market, in order to charge artificially high prices.
Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen says that the makers of Suboxone switched from a tablet version to a film, which dissolves in the mouth, and withdrew the tablet version from the U.S. market.
According to the suit, the Suboxone film provided no real benefit over the tablet.
The state's claim that this conduct was illegal "product hopping," when a company makes modest changes to a product to extend its patent protections so that other companies cannot enter the market and offer less expensive generic alternatives.
The drug maker did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
