Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the New York State Department of Financial Services has filed charges and initiated administrative proceedings against Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Ltd., and its subsidiaries, Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., Cephalon, Inc., Watson Laboratories, Inc., Actavis Pharma, Inc., Actavis LLC, and Actavis Elizabeth LLC; and against Allergan PLC and its subsidiary Allergan Finance LLC. These charges are the third set to be filed in DFS's ongoing investigation into the entities that created and perpetuated the opioid crisis. 

Teva has been a prolific manufacturer of opioids in the United States, manufacturing approximately 20% of the opioid products that flooded New York from 2006 to 2014. Teva manufactured both its own branded opioids as well as generic opioids through its Actavis subsidiaries. Allergan also manufactured opioid products from 2006 to 2014. 

"New York will continue to aggressively investigate the bad actors that caused the opioid crisis - an American tragedy that has taken too many lives and caused irrevocable harm to communities in our state and across the country," Governor Cuomo said. "Everyone who has been affected by opioids deserves justice and we will make every effort to deliver it to them by pursuing the companies that defraud the public and holding them accountable to the fullest extent of the law." 

The DFS Statement of Charges alleges that, like other opioid manufacturers, Teva and Allergan each knowingly furthered false narratives to legitimize dangerously powerful opioid products as appropriate for a broad spectrum of pain. In particular, the companies' messaging greatly downplayed the drugs' long-known addictive nature and risks. This strategic effort by the opioid industry caused an increased acceptance of opioids as medically legitimate, necessary, and appropriate painkillers by both patients and medical professionals. As a result, demand for opioids soared to unprecedented levels as did the predictable crisis of addiction and abuse that resulted from this overprescribing. 

The allegations include the following:  

According to DFS's Statement of Charges, Teva and Allergan violated two New York Insurance Laws. Section 403 of the New York Insurance Law prohibits fraudulent insurance acts and carries with it penalties of up to $5,000 plus the amount of the fraudulent claim for each violation; DFS alleges that each fraudulent prescription constitutes a separate violation. Section 408 of the Financial Services Law prohibits intentional fraud or intentional misrepresentation of a material fact with respect to a financial product or service, which includes health insurance and carries with it penalties of up to $5,000 per violation; once again, DFS alleges that each fraudulent prescription constitutes a separate violation. 

Read a copy of the DFS Statement of Charges for Teva and Allergan on the DFS website.

The hearing will be held at the office of the New York State Department of Financial Services, One State Street, New York, New York, beginning on October 26, 2020.