Putnam County Commissioner Andy Skidmore, left, speaks during a news conference called by West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey, right, on Friday, May 2, 2025, to announce the distribution of funds from a settlement with drug maker Pfizer. Image is a still frame from a video shared by McCuskeyƵs office.
Putnam County Commissioner Andy Skidmore, left, speaks during a news conference called by West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey, right, on Friday, May 2, 2025, to announce the distribution of funds from a settlement with drug maker Pfizer. Image is a still frame from a video shared by McCuskeyƵs office.
CHARLESTON Ƶ West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey announced on Friday, May 2, that his office has distributed nearly $3.5 million to cities and counties as part of a settlement agreement involving the cholesterol drug Lipitor.
The settlement is from an antitrust lawsuit against Pfizer Inc. (and related companies) and Ranbaxy Inc. (and related companies). The lawsuit alleged the two companies conspired to delay the introduction onto the market of a cheaper generic version of Lipitor for 20 months. LipitorƵs original patent expired on March 24, 2010.
ƵThis settlement is about holding pharmaceutical companies accountable for putting their bottom line before people,Ƶ McCuskey said in a news release. ƵNo drug company should withhold a less expensive medication to treat chronic conditions just to make their stakeholders richer. That is completely unacceptable, and this settlement is one step in the right direction.Ƶ
The amount each city and county will receive depends on the size of its population. The counties are receiving a total of $1,630,000; cities are receiving a total of $1,855,000.
Putnam County Commissioner Andy Skidmore and St. Albans Mayor Scott James met with Attorney General McCuskey to pick up their portion of the funds on Friday. Putnam County received $50,000, while St. Albans received $25,000. Other cities and counties should be receiving checks in the mail this week.
Here are the distribution amounts for municipal recipients in the Putnam HeraldƵs readership area:
Bancroft: $5,000
Buffalo: $5,000
Eleanor: $5,000
Hurricane: $15,000
Nitro: $15,000
Poca: $5,000
Winfield: $15,000
Counties and municipalities are receiving settlement funds specifically to reimburse healthcare costs incurred from purchasing name-brand Lipitor. The Bureau for Medical Services and West Virginia Public Insurance Agency (PEIA) received $3,083,250 for Medicaid and PEIA overpayments.
Additionally, individual consumers on Lipitor from March 24, 2010, to Nov. 20, 2011, who paid higher prices due to the delayed introduction of the generic version are also eligible to submit a claim. A total of $3,819,250 has been set aside for those claims. The West Virginia Attorney GeneralƵs Office is currently establishing a dedicated claims process for these consumers to recover their overpayments. Details regarding the consumer reimbursement process will be announced soon.
