States Ask a Court to Approve $1.05 Million From Ascend and Mayne in the Generic Drug Price-Fixing Case — the Money Consumers Can Claim Now Still Runs Through Two Deadlines: November 9, 2026 and March 8, 2027

The newest step in the generic drug price fixing settlement story is a filing, not a payment. Vermont’s attorney general announced on October 8, 2026 that the state “joined a coalition of 45 states and territories seeking court approval of three settlements with Ascend Laboratories, Citron Pharma and Mayne Pharma.” Alaska’s attorney general issued the same announcement on October 9. The terms, in the states’ words: “Ascend will pay $400,000 to the states and Mayne will pay $650,000. Citron’s settlement only includes non-monetary terms as it has ceased business operations.” All three companies also agreed to internal reforms meant to ensure compliance with the antitrust laws.

The states accuse the companies of taking part in “a widespread, long-running conspiracy to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition, and unreasonably restrain trade with regard to numerous generic prescription drugs.” Those are allegations; the releases do not say the companies admitted anything, and a court still has to approve the deals. As of October 15, 2026, we have not found a ruling on these settlements or on the $400 million Sandoz deal filed on October 1.

Measured against the rest of the case, the new money is small: $1.05 million, against the $496.5 million the states say they had already secured from Sandoz, Glenmark, Lannett, Bausch, Apotex, Heritage and Heritage’s parent company, Emcure. None of the releases we read says how, or whether, the Ascend and Mayne payments will be added to the consumer claims program.

The class settlements (Philadelphia). The court-authorized notice of July 10, 2026 reads: “Sandoz paid $275 million and Sun/Taro paid $200 million to settle all consumer and TPP claims in this lawsuit. Heritage paid $10 million and Apotex paid $48 million to settle the TPP claims in this lawsuit.” TPPs are third-party payers such as insurers and self-funded employer plans; for individual consumers, the money comes from Sandoz and Sun/Taro. The class covers people who paid some or all of the price of a listed generic “in the United States (except Indiana and Ohio) and in some United States territories, at any time during the period from May 1, 2009, through December 31, 2019.”

The states’ program (Hartford). This program grows out of lawsuits filed by the state attorneys general themselves; it is separate from the class action. California’s attorney general announced on September 24, 2026 that the federal court in Connecticut had granted preliminary approval of a plan, “filed by California and a coalition of 47 other states and territories,” to distribute the earlier settlements with Glenmark, Lannett, Bausch, Apotex, Heritage and Emcure, “totaling approximately $96.5 million.” The $400 million Sandoz deal is not part of that plan yet: Connecticut’s October 1 release says only that a motion for preliminary approval was being filed that day. Indiana and Ohio, which are excluded from the class, are both on the list of states that signed the Ascend, Citron and Mayne settlements.

How much? Neither program has published a per-person estimate. The class notice says a valid claim earns “a proportional (or pro rata) payment” and that “Your payment amount will depend on the number of valid claims and the amount of money you spent on the Named Generic Drugs from May 1, 2009 through December 31, 2019.” Neither program had announced a payment date as of October 15, 2026.

Class claim. The notice is explicit: “To receive settlement benefits, you must submit a claim form with supporting documents,” online “on or before November 9, 2026” or on paper “postmarked on or before November 9, 2026.” The consequence of missing that date: “If you do not submit your claim form on or before November 9, 2026, you will not get a payment from the settlements.” The administrator’s number is 1-877-316-0171. When we opened GenericDrugsEndPayerSettlement.com, the site blocked online filing for our connection and said: “The settlement website is operating normally, and a claim form is available there to download, complete, and submit by mail.” If that happens to you, the paper form counts the same as long as the postmark is on time. Our September 30 guide explains the drug list and the proof-of-purchase rules.

States’ claim. California’s release states: “The deadline to submit a claim is March 8, 2027.” Eligibility questions go to 1-866-290-0182, info@AGGenericDrugs.com or AGGenericDrugs.com. The two programs come from different lawsuits and have different websites, phone numbers and deadlines, so check the instructions of each. If you paid for a listed generic between May 2009 and December 2019, it is worth checking both.

Businesses. Washington’s attorney general says Washington and Idaho “were the only states in the coalition to also secure restitution for businesses impacted by this conspiracy.” Washington’s share of the Sandoz deal is more than $12 million.

The class notice opens: “A federal court authorized this Notice. This is not a solicitation from a lawyer.” It names one website, GenericDrugsEndPayerSettlement.com, and one phone number, 1-877-316-0171. The states’ releases name AGGenericDrugs.com, info@AGGenericDrugs.com and 1-866-290-0182. A message about either program that points somewhere else is a reason to stop. Type the address in yourself instead of following a link.

You also do not need a middleman. The notice says class members “do not need to sign up with a claims recovery firm or pay another law firm in order to participate in these settlements.” The headlines about Ascend, Mayne and the $400 million Sandoz deal are not a reason to expect a new check or a new form: as of October 15, 2026, neither has a court-approved plan for paying consumers.

The states’ cases began in 2016 and now span four complaints. The first named Heritage and 17 other companies over 15 generic drugs. The second, filed in 2019, targets Teva and 21 other manufacturers. The third, which will be tried first, “focuses on 80 topical generic drugs” and names 26 corporate and 10 individual defendants. The fourth accuses Novartis AG, Sandoz Group AG and Sandoz AG of being liable for Sandoz’s alleged conduct and of fraudulently transferring assets. The states say their evidence includes “over 20 million documents” and phone records for more than 600 sales and pricing employees. California adds that seven pharmaceutical executives have been cooperating with the states. The first trial is set for Hartford in February 2027. Connecticut puts Sandoz’s total payments to state enforcers, counting earlier state deals, at approximately $469 million.

Many searches about this case ask a different question: “What 10 drugs are being negotiated by Medicare?” That is a separate federal program. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says it selected ten Medicare Part D drugs for the first round of price negotiations, with negotiated prices that took effect on “January 1, 2026” — drugs that face no competition, in the agency’s words “without generic or biosimilar competition.” These settlements pay nothing toward those prices; questions about them go to Medicare or your Part D plan.