Court Grants Class Certification to Direct Purchasers of Lidoderm in Antitrust Case and Appoints Faruqi & Faruqi Co-Lead Counsel

On February 21, 2017, the Honorable William H. Orrick of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California certified a class of direct purchasers of the pain medication patch Lidoderm in the antitrust case In re Lidoderm Antitrust Litigation, No. 3:14-md-02521-WHO.  Judge Orrick further appointed Faruqi & Faruqi LLP to serve as Co-Lead Counsel, stating that it and its co-counsel have “ably and vigorously” litigated the case.  Plaintiffs allege that drug manufacturers Endo and Teikoku paid their would-be competitor Watson at least $200 million to stay off the market with its cheaper generic product, causing the class to suffer overcharge damages.