Blister pack with dollars instead of pills Investigators say that even a small price hike in annual sales over several years adds up to billions of additional cost billed to consumers. (Photo: Shutterstock)

Generic drug makers, once considered the good guy underdogs of the pharmacy industry, may not be as innocent as they purport to be. An antitrust lawsuit that started two years ago and involved just two companies has expanded to include 16 companies and more than 300 generic drugs.

“This is most likely the largest cartel in the history of the United States,” Joseph Nielsen, an assistant attorney general and antitrust investigator in Connecticut who has been a leading force in the probe, said in an interview with The Washington Post, citing the volume of drugs in the schemes and the total number of companies and individuals involved.

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Marlene Satter

Marlene Y. Satter has worked in and written about the financial industry for decades.

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