States Asked a Hartford Court on October 1 to Approve a $400 Million Sandoz and Fougera Deal — but the Money You Can Claim Now Is the Separate $275 Million Class Settlement, Deadline November 9, 2026

The news of October 1 is a filing, not a payment. Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced that day that he “led a coalition of 43 states and territories seeking court approval of a $400 million settlement with Sandoz Inc. and Fougera Pharmaceuticals Inc.” The states had announced a settlement in principle on August 3; the release says “All 43 states and territories have since signed onto the agreement and a motion for preliminary approval of the settlement will be filed today in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut in Hartford.” Delaware’s attorney general confirmed on October 8, 2026 that the motion “has now been filed.” As of October 12, 2026, we have not found a ruling on it or a hearing date.

The money is large but slow. Sandoz said in August that its U.S. subsidiary “will pay a total of $400 million over seven years starting from 2027,” plus about $50 million to states that settled with it earlier — roughly $450 million in the company’s count. Connecticut’s October release puts the total Sandoz pays state enforcers, counting the earlier deals, at “approximately $469 million.” The deal also resolves the states’ claims against the Swiss parent companies and requires internal antitrust-compliance reforms. Connecticut’s share is $5.1 million. Sandoz says the settlement contains no admission of wrongdoing.

This states’ deal is not the Sandoz and Fougera antitrust settlement that most readers have received postcards about. That one is the $275 million class settlement in the Philadelphia multidistrict litigation, and its claim deadline is November 9, 2026. If you paid for any listed generic drug between 2009 and 2019, the class claim is the one with the earlier deadline.

The $275 million class settlement (Philadelphia). The court-authorized notice states: “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” — $533 million in all, though only the Sandoz and Sun/Taro funds are open to individual consumers. The class covers people and health plans that 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.” Copays count. Consumers whose purchases were covered by Medicaid are excluded. Judge Rufe approved the claim forms and appointed the claims administrator on June 10, 2026 (Doc. 4564).

The $400 million states’ settlement (Hartford). This is a case brought by the state enforcers themselves, not a class action. Indiana and Ohio are both on Connecticut’s list of states that signed it. Attorney General Tong called the deal one that is “delivering tens of millions of dollars back to consumers in restitution,” and the release points consumers who bought a generic between May 2009 and December 2019 to AGGenericDrugs.com or 1-866-290-0182. The only distribution plan the court has preliminarily approved so far covers different money. California’s attorney general wrote on September 24, 2026 that the plan covers the earlier settlements with Glenmark, Lannett, Bausch, Apotex, Heritage and Emcure, “totaling approximately $96.5 million,” and that “The deadline to submit a claim is March 8, 2027.” As of October 12, 2026, no public document we read says how much of the Sandoz $400 million will go to consumers, through which claims process, or whether Indiana and Ohio residents can claim it.

A third, smaller Sandoz deal. In August Sandoz also agreed to pay $28.5 million to an indirect reseller class, which is “comprised generally of certain retail pharmacies, clinics, hospitals, and other entities that resold medicines.” That deal is for businesses, not patients.

What is the amount of the generic drug settlement payout? For any one person, no official figure has been published. The class notice says only that a valid claim gets “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.” Notice and administration costs, attorneys’ fees, litigation expenses and service awards come off first, and consumers share the pool with insurers and self-funded health plans. No payment date had been announced as of October 12, 2026.

Class claim, deadline November 9, 2026. The notice reads: “You may either complete and submit your claim form online at the EPP Settlement Website on or before November 9, 2026, or you may mail a paper version of your claim form that is postmarked on or before November 9, 2026.” It also says “you must submit a claim form with supporting documents” and “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 line is 1-877-316-0171. Our September 30 guide explains the drug list and proof-of-purchase rules in detail. One practical note: when we opened GenericDrugsEndPayerSettlement.com, the site blocked online filing for our connection and showed this message: “The settlement website is operating normally, and a claim form is available there to download, complete, and submit by mail.” If you see that message, a paper form postmarked by November 9, 2026 is valid.

States’ program, deadline March 8, 2027. This is a separate claim with its own site, AGGenericDrugs.com, and phone line, 1-866-290-0182. The two programs are run separately, and none of the notices we read says that a claim in one counts in the other. If you qualify for both, file both. There is nothing to file for the $400 million Sandoz deal yet beyond that program; watch for the distribution plan once the Hartford court rules on preliminary approval.

The class notice begins: “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’ program uses AGGenericDrugs.com, info@AGGenericDrugs.com and 1-866-290-0182. A postcard, email or ad pointing to any other address for either program is a reason to stop. Type the address in yourself.

Watch for companies that offer to file for you. The class notice says plainly that 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 class administrator answers questions by phone. The October 1 headlines about a $400 million Sandoz deal are also not a reason to expect a new check: under that deal the money comes in over seven years starting in 2027, and as of October 12, 2026 there is no approved plan for paying it to consumers.

What is an antitrust settlement? It ends a lawsuit claiming that companies broke the competition laws. Here the class case “claims that generic manufacturers violated federal and state antitrust laws, consumer protection statutes, and common law,” causing consumers and health plans “to pay more than they should have for certain generic drugs.” A settling company pays without a court finding that it broke the law: the notice says the defendants “deny any wrongdoing.”

What are the allegations in the Novartis Sandoz lawsuit? The states accuse Sandoz and Fougera of a “widespread, long-running conspiracy to artificially inflate and manipulate prices, reduce competition, and unreasonably restrain trade with regard to numerous generic prescription drugs.” Earlier in 2026 they filed a fourth complaint, “alleging that Novartis AG, Sandoz Group AG and Sandoz AG, are liable for Sandoz’s alleged conduct and for fraudulently transferring assets.” The settlement would resolve those claims too. These are allegations, and Sandoz admits no wrongdoing.

The states’ litigation, which began in 2016, continues against other manufacturers. The complaint going to trial first “focuses on 80 topical generic drugs” and names 26 corporate and 10 individual defendants, and Connecticut says the first trial is scheduled for Hartford in February 2027. In Philadelphia the class case also goes on against the companies that have not settled. For a consumer, the November 9, 2026 class deadline is the date to act on now.