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Commitments and contingencies
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2021
Commitments and contingencies
NOTE 10 – Commitments and contingencies:
General
From time to time, Teva and/or its subsidiaries are subject to claims for damages and/or equitable relief arising in the ordinary course of business. In addition, as described below, in large part as a result of the nature of its business, Teva is frequently subject to litigation. Teva generally believes that it has meritorious defenses to the actions brought against it and vigorously pursues the defense or settlement of each such action.
Teva records a provision in its financial statements to the extent that it concludes that a contingent liability is probable and the amount thereof is estimable. Based upon the status of the cases described below, management’s assessments of the likelihood of damages, and the advice of counsel, no provisions have been made regarding the matters disclosed in this note, except as noted below. Litigation outcomes and contingencies are unpredictable, and excessive verdicts can occur. Accordingly, management’s assessments involve complex judgments about future events and often rely heavily on estimates and assumptions. Teva continuously reviews the matters described below and may, from time to time, remove previously disclosed matters where the exposures were fully resolved in the prior year, o
r
 determined to no longer meet the materiality threshold for disclosure, or were substantially resolved.
If one or more of such proceedings described below were to result in final judgments against Teva, such judgments could be material to its results of operations and cash flows in a given period. In addition, Teva incurs significant legal fees and related expenses in the course of defending its positions even if the facts and circumstances of a particular litigation do not give rise to a provision in the financial statements.
In connection with third-party agreements, Teva may under certain circumstances be required to indemnify, and may be indemnified by, in unspecified amounts, the parties to such agreements against third-party claims. Among other things, Teva’s agreements with third parties may require Teva to indemnify them, or require them to indemnify Teva, for the costs and damages incurred in connection with product liability claims, in specified or unspecified amounts.
Except as otherwise noted, all of the litigation matters disclosed below involve claims arising in the United States. Except as otherwise noted, all third party sales figures given below are based on IQVIA (formerly IMS Health Inc.) data.
Intellectual Property Litigation
From time to time, Teva seeks to develop generic versions of patent-protected pharmaceuticals for sale prior to patent expiration in various markets. In the United States, to obtain approval for most generics prior to the expiration of the originator’s patents, Teva must challenge the patents under the procedures set forth in the Hatch-Waxman Act of 1984, as amended. To the extent that Teva seeks to utilize such patent challenge procedures, Teva is and expects to be involved in patent litigation regarding the validity, enforceability or infringement of the originator’s patents. Teva may also be involved in patent litigation involving the extent to which its product or manufacturing process techniques may infringe other originator or third-party patents.
Additionally, depending upon a complex analysis of a variety of legal and commercial factors, Teva may, in certain circumstances, elect to market a generic version even though litigation is still pending. To the extent Teva elects to proceed in this manner, it could face substantial liability for patent infringement if the final court decision is adverse to Teva, which could be material to its results of operations and cash flows in a given period.
Teva could also be sued for patent infringement outside of the context of the Hatch-Waxman Act. For example, Teva could be sued for patent infringement after commencing sales of a product. In addition, for biosimilar products, Teva could be sued according to the “patent dance” procedures of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA).
The general rule for damages in patent infringement cases in the United States is that the patentee should be compensated by no less than a reasonable royalty and it may also be able, in certain circumstances, to be compensated for its lost profits. The amount of a reasonable royalty award would generally be calculated based on the sales of Teva’s product. The amount of lost profits would generally be based on the lost sales of the patentee’s product. In addition, the patentee may seek consequential damages as well as enhanced damages of up to three times the profits lost by the patent holder for willful infringement, although courts have typically awarded much lower multiples.
Teva is also involved in litigation regarding patents in other countries where it does business, particularly in Europe. The laws concerning generic pharmaceuticals and patents differ from country to country. Damages for patent infringement in Europe may include lost profits or a reasonable royalty, but enhanced damages for willful infringement are generally not available.
In July 2014, GlaxoSmithKline (“GSK”) sued Teva in Delaware federal court for infringement of a patent directed to using carvedilol in a specified manner to decrease the risk of mortality in patients with congestive heart failure. Teva and eight other generic producers began selling their carvedilol tablets (the generic version of GSK’s Coreg
®
) in September 2007. A jury trial was held and the jury returned a verdict in GSK’s favor finding Teva liable for induced infringement, including willful infringement, and assessing damages of $235.5 million, not including
pre-
or post-judgment interest or a multiplier for willfulness. Thereafter, the judge overturned the jury verdict, finding no induced infringement by Teva and that Teva did not owe any damages. On October 2, 2020, in a
two-to-one
decision, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, overturned the judge’s ruling and reinstated the jury verdict. Teva’s request for rehearing was granted, and the October 2020 decision was vacated. On February 23, 2021, the same three-judge panel of the Federal Circuit heard additional oral argument on the issue of whether there is enough evidence to support the jury’s verdict of induced infringement during the period from January 8, 2008 through April 30, 2011 (the “skinny label” period). If further appeals are decided against Teva, the case would be remanded to the district court for it to consider Teva’s other legal and equitable defenses that have not yet been considered by the district court. In the first quarter of 2021, Teva recognized a provision based on its offer to settle such matter.
Product Liability Litigation
Teva’s business inherently exposes it to potential product liability claims. Teva maintains a program of insurance, which may include commercial insurance, self-insurance (including direct risk retention), or a combination of both approaches, in amounts and on terms that it believes are reasonable and prudent in light of its business and related risks. However, Teva sells, and will continue to sell, pharmaceuticals that are not covered by its product liability insurance; in addition, it may be subject to claims for which insurance coverage is denied as well as claims that exceed its policy limits. Product liability coverage for pharmaceutical companies is becoming more expensive and increasingly difficult to obtain. As a result, Teva may not be able to obtain the type and amount of insurance it desires, or any insurance on reasonable terms, in all of its markets.
Teva and its subsidiaries are parties to litigation relating to previously unknown nitrosamine impurities discovered in certain products. The discovery led to a global recall of single and combination valsartan medicines around the world starting in July 2018 and to subsequent recalls on other products. The nitrosamine impurities in valsartan are allegedly found in the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) supplied by multiple API manufacturers. Teva’s products allegedly at issue in the various nitrosamine-related litigations pending in the United States include valsartan, losartan, metformin and ranitidine. There are currently two Multi-District Litigations (“MDL”) pending in the United States District Courts against Teva and numerous other manufacturers. One MDL is pending in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey for valsartan, losartan and irbesartan. Teva is not named in complaints with respect to irbesartan. The second MDL is pending in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida for ranitidine. The lawsuits against Teva in the MDLs consist of individual personal injury and/or product liability claims and economic damages claims brought by consumers and end payors on behalf of purported classes of other consumers and end payors as well as medical monitoring class claims. Defendants’ motions to dismiss in the valsartan, losartan and irbesartan MDL were denied in part and granted in part. Plaintiffs have moved to file amended complaints, which defendants have opposed. On December 31, 2020, the court in the ranitidine MDL granted the generic defendants’ motion to dismiss on the grounds of preemption and deficient pleading, allowing plaintiffs to
re-plead
certain claims. Certain plaintiffs appealed the decision. Plaintiffs in the ranitidine MDL filed amended complaints, and on March 24, 2021, defendants moved to dismiss those amended complaints. On July 8, 2021, the district court entered an order granting dismissal of the generic manufacturer defendants, including Teva and its affiliates, without leave to further amend. Teva was also recently named in a consolidated proceeding in California state court with similar allegations as the ranitidine MDL. In addition to these MDLs, Teva has also been named in a consolidated proceeding pending in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey brought by individuals and end payors seeking economic damages on behalf of purported classes of consumers and end payors who purchased Teva’s, as well as other generic manufacturers’ metformin products. The defendants’ motion to dismiss the metformin complaint was granted, and on June 21, 2021, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint. Teva has also been named in one personal injury metformin case in Florida state court. Similar lawsuits are pending in Canada and Germany.
Competition Matters
As part of its generic pharmaceuticals business, Teva has challenged a number of patents covering branded pharmaceuticals, some of which are among the most widely-prescribed and well-known drugs on the market. Many of Teva’s patent challenges have resulted in litigation relating to Teva’s attempts to market generic versions of such pharmaceuticals under the federal Hatch-Waxman Act. Some of this litigation has been resolved through settlement agreements in which Teva obtained a license to market a generic version of the drug, often years before the patents expire.
Teva and its subsidiaries have increasingly been named as defendants in cases that allege antitrust violations arising from such settlement agreements. The plaintiffs in these cases, which are usually direct and indirect purchasers of pharmaceutical products, and often assert claims on behalf of classes of all direct and indirect purchasers, typically allege that (1) Teva received something of value from the innovator in exchange for an agreement to delay generic entry, and (2) significant savings could have been realized if there had been no settlement agreement and generic competition had commenced earlier. These class action cases seek various forms of injunctive and monetary relief, including damages based on the difference between the brand price and what the generic price allegedly would have been and disgorgement of profits, which are automatically tripled under the relevant statutes, plus attorneys’ fees and costs. The alleged damages generally depend on the size of the branded market and the length of the alleged delay, and can be substantial—potentially measured in multiples of the annual brand sales—particularly where the alleged delays are lengthy or branded drugs with annual sales in the billions of dollars are involved.
Teva believes that its settlement agreements are lawful and serve to increase competition, and has defended them vigorously. In Teva’s experience to date, these cases have typically settled for a fraction of the high end of the damages sought, although there can be no assurance that such outcomes will continue.
In June 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court held, in Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) v. Actavis, Inc. (the “AndroGel case”), that a rule of reason test should be applied in analyzing whether such settlements potentially violate the federal antitrust laws. The Supreme Court held that a trial court must analyze each agreement in its entirety in order to determine whether it violates the antitrust laws. This new test has resulted in increased scrutiny of Teva’s patent settlements, additional action by the FTC and state and local authorities, and an increased risk of liability in Teva’s currently pending antitrust litigations.
In May 2015, Cephalon Inc., a Teva subsidiary (“Cephalon”), entered into a consent decree with the FTC (the “Modafinil Consent Decree”) under which the FTC dismissed antitrust claims against Cephalon related to certain finished modafinil products (marketed as PROVIGIL
®
) in exchange for Cephalon and Teva agreeing to, among other things, abide by certain restrictions and limitations, for a period of ten years, when entering into settlement agreements to resolve patent litigation in the United States. Those restrictions and limitations were further refined in connection with the settlement of other unrelated FTC antitrust lawsuits, as described below, and the term of the Modafinil Consent Decree was extended until 2029.
In November 2020, the European Commission issued a final decision in its proceedings against both Cephalon and Teva, finding that the 2005 settlement agreement between the parties had the object and effect of hindering the entry of generic modafinil, and imposed fines totaling €60.5 million on Teva and Cephalon. Teva and Cephalon filed an appeal against the decision in February 2021. A provision for this matter was included in the financial
statements. Teva has provided the European Commission with a bank guarantee in the amount of the imposed fines. 
Teva and its affiliates have been named as defendants in lawsuits alleging that multiple patent litigation settlement agreements relating to AndroGel® 1% (testosterone gel) violate the antitrust laws. The first of these lawsuits (the “Georgia AndroGel Litigation”) was filed in January 2009 in California federal court, and later transferred to Georgia federal court, with the FTC and the State of California, and later private plaintiffs, challenging a September 2006 patent litigation settlement between Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Watson”), from which Teva later acquired certain assets and liabilities, and Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Solvay”). The second lawsuit (the “Philadelphia AndroGel Litigation”) was filed by the FTC in September 2014 in federal court in Philadelphia, challenging Teva’s December 2011 patent litigation settlement with AbbVie. The FTC stipulated to dismiss Teva from both litigations, in exchange for Teva’s agreement to amend the Modafinil Consent Decree, as described above. On July 16, 2018, the direct purchaser plaintiffs’ motion for class certification in the Georgia AndroGel Litigation was denied and Teva later settled with the retailer plaintiffs in the Georgia AndroGel Litigation as well as the three direct purchasers that had sought class certification, thus leaving no remaining claims in the Georgia AndroGel Litigation. In August 2019, certain other direct-purchaser plaintiffs (who would have been members of the direct purchaser class in the Georgia AndroGel Litigation, had it been certified) filed their own claims in the federal court in Philadelphia (where the Philadelphia AndroGel Litigation has been pending), challenging (in one complaint) both the September 2006 settlement between Watson and Solvay, and the December 2011 settlement between Teva and AbbVie.
Those claims remain pending. Annual sales of AndroGel
®
1% were approximately
 
$
350
 million at the time of the earlier Watson/Solvay settlement and approximately $
140
 million at the time Actavis launched its generic version of AndroGel
®
1
% in
November 2015
. A provision for these matters was included in the financial statements.
In December 2011, three groups of plaintiffs sued Wyeth and Teva for alleged violations of the antitrust laws in connection with their settlement of patent litigation involving extended release venlafaxine (generic Effexor XR
®
) entered into in November 2005. The cases were filed by a purported class of direct purchasers, by a purported class of indirect purchasers and by certain chain pharmacies in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. The plaintiffs claim that the settlement agreement between Wyeth and Teva unlawfully delayed generic entry. In October 2014, the court granted Teva’s motion to dismiss in the direct purchaser cases, after which the parties agreed that the court’s reasoning applied equally to the indirect purchaser cases. Plaintiffs appealed and, in August 2017, the Third Circuit reversed the district court’s decision and remanded for further proceedings. In March 2020, the district court temporarily stayed discovery and referred the case to mediation, and discovery remains stayed. Annual sales of Effexor XR
®
were approximately $2.6 billion at the time of settlement and at the time Teva launched its generic version of Effexor XR
®
in July 2010.
In February 2012, two purported classes of direct-purchaser plaintiffs sued GSK and Teva in New Jersey federal court for alleged violations of the antitrust laws in connection with their settlement of patent litigation involving lamotrigine (generic Lamictal®) entered into in February 2005. The plaintiffs claim that the settlement agreement unlawfully delayed generic entry and seek unspecified damages. In December 2018, the district court granted the direct-purc
h
aser plaintiffs’ motion for class certification, but on April 22, 2020, the Third Circuit reversed that ruling and remanded for further class certification proceedings. On April 9, 2021, the district court denied the direct purchaser plaintiffs’ renewed motion for class certification, but allowed additional briefing on whether plaintiffs can still meet the class certification standard on certain of their claims. Annual sales of Lamictal® were approximately
 $950 million at the time of the settlement and approximately $2.3 billion at the time Teva launched its generic version of Lamictal
®
in July 2008.
In April 2013, purported classes of direct purchasers of, and end payers for, Niaspan
®
(extended release niacin) sued Teva and Abbott for violating the antitrust laws by entering into a settlement agreement in April 2005, to resolve patent litigation over the product. A multidistrict litigation has been established in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Throughout 2015 and in January 2016, several individual direct-purchaser
opt-out
plaintiffs filed complaints with allegations nearly identical to those of the direct purchasers’ class. In August 2019, the district court certified the direct-purchaser class, but in June 2020, the court denied the indirect purchasers’ motion for class certification without prejudice. On September 4, 2020, the indirect purchasers filed a renewed motion for class certification, which remains pending. In October 2016, the District Attorney for Orange County, California, filed a similar complaint in California state court, which has since been amended, alleging violations of state law. Defendants moved to strike the District Attorney’s claims for restitution and civil penalties to the extent not limited to alleged activity occurring in Orange County. The Superior Court denied that motion. The Court of Appeals subsequently reversed the decision and in June 2020, the California Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeals’ decision, allowing the District Attorney’s claims to proceed. Annual sales of Niaspan
®
were approximately $416 million at the time of the settlement and approximately $1.1 billion at the time Teva launched its generic version of Niaspan
®
in September 2013.
Since January 2014, numerous lawsuits have been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York by purported classes of
end-payers
for, and direct-purchasers of, Actos
®
and Actoplus Met (pioglitazone and pioglitazone plus metformin) against Takeda, the innovator, and several generic manufacturers, including Teva, Actavis and Watson. The lawsuits allege, among other things, that the settlement agreements between Takeda and the generic manufacturers violated the antitrust laws. The court dismissed the
end-payers’
lawsuits against all defendants in September 2015. On February 8, 2017, the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the dismissal in part and vacated and remanded the dismissal in part with respect to the claims against Takeda. The direct purchasers’ case had been stayed pending resolution of the appeal in the end payer matter and the direct purchasers amended their complaint for a second time following the Second Circuit’s decision, but on October 8, 2019, the district court dismissed, with prejudice, the direct purchasers’ claims against the generic manufacturers (including Teva, Actavis, and Watson). At the time of Teva’s settlement, annual sales of Actos
®
and Actoplus Met were approximately $3.7 billion and approximately $500 million, respectively. At the time Teva launched its authorized generic version of Actos
®
and Actoplus Met in August 2012, annual sales of Actos
®
and Actoplus Met were approximately $2.8 billion and approximately $430 million, respectively.
In January 2019, generic manufacturer Cipla Limited filed a lawsuit against Amgen, which was later amended to include Teva as a defendant, in Delaware federal court, alleging, among other things, that a January 2, 2019 settlement agreement between Amgen and Teva, resolving patent litigation over cinacalcet (generic Sensipar
®
), violated the antitrust laws. On August 14, 2020, Cipla Limited agreed to dismiss its claims against Teva, with prejudice, and those claims have since been dismissed. Putative classes of direct-purchaser and
end-payer
plaintiffs have also filed antitrust lawsuits (which have since been coordinated in federal court in Delaware) against Amgen and Teva related to the January 2, 2019 settlement. On July 22, 2020, a magistrate judge recommended that plaintiffs’ claims be dismissed and on November 30, 2020, the district court overruled the magistrate judge’s recommendation, denied Teva’s motion to dismiss in part, and instructed plaintiffs to file amended complaints, which plaintiffs filed on February 16, 2021. Teva again moved to dismiss those complaints on March 30, 2021, based on plaintiffs’ failure to allege both (a) that the settlement violated the antitrust laws and (b) that the settlement caused any actual injury to plaintiffs, and Teva’s motions remain pending. Annual sales of Sensipar
®
in the United States were approximately $1.4 billion at the time Teva launched its generic version of Sensipar
®
in December 2018, and at the time of the January 2, 2019 settlement.
On July 15, 2021, the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (“CMA”) issued a decision imposing fines for breaches of U.K. competition law by Allergan, Actavis UK and Auden Mckenzie and a number of other companies in connection with the supply of 10mg and 20mg hydrocortisone tablets in the U.K. The decision combines the CMA’s three prior investigations into the supply of hydrocortisone tablets in the U.K. and encompasses those allegations which were subject to prior statements of objections (a provisional finding of breach of the Competition Act), in particular those under case
50277-1
(unfair pricing, originally subject to a statement of objections on December 16, 2016), case
50277-2
(anti-competitive agreement with AMCo, originally subject to a statement of objections on March 3, 2017) as well as the CMA’s subsequent investigation relating to an anti-competitive agreement with Waymade. On January 9, 2017, Teva completed the sale of Actavis UK to Accord Healthcare Limited, in connection with which Teva will indemnify Accord Healthcare for potential fines imposed by the CMA and/or damages awarded by a court against Actavis UK in relation to the December 16, 2016 and March 3, 2017 statements of objections, and resulting from conduct prior to the closing date of the sale. In addition, Teva agreed to indemnify Allergan against losses arising from this matter in the event of any such fines or damages. A provision for the estimated exposure for Teva related to the fines and/or damages has been recorded in the financial statements.
In March 2021, following the 2019 European Commission’s inspection of Teva and subsequent request for information, the European Commission opened a formal antitrust investigation to assess whether Teva may have abused a dominant position by delaying the market entry and uptake of medicines that compete with COPAXONE. Annual sales of COPAXONE in the European Economic Area for the past calendar year were approximately
 $380 million.
Between September 1, 2020 and December 20, 2020, separate plaintiffs purporting to represent putative classes of direct and indirect purchasers and opt-out retailer purchasers of Bystolic® (nebivolol hydrochloride) filed separate complaints in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against several generic manufacturers, including Teva, Actavis, and Watson, alleging, among other things, that the settlement agreements these generic manufacturers entered into with Forest Laboratories, Inc., the innovator, to resolve patent litigation over Bystolic® violated the antitrust laws. The cases were coordinated and on March 15, 2021, plaintiffs filed amended complaints, which Teva, Actavis, and Watson have moved to dismiss on the grounds (among others) that the allegations do not plausibly demonstrate any improper payment from Forest to Watson that could create antitrust liability. Those motions remain pending. Annual sales of Bystolic® in the United States were approximately 
$700 million at the time of Watson’s 2013 settlement with Forest.
Government Investigations and Litigation Relating to Pricing and Marketing
Teva is involved in government investigations and litigation aris
i
ng from the marketing and promotion of its pharmaceutical products in the United States.
In 2015 and 2016, Actavis and Teva USA each respectively received subpoenas from the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) Antitrust Division seeking documents and other information relating to the marketing and pricing of certain Teva USA generic products and communications with competitors about such products. On August 25, 2020, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania returned a three count indictment charging Teva USA with criminal felony Sherman Act violations. See No.
20-cr-200
(E.D. Pa.). The indictment alleges Teva USA participated in a conspiracy with certain other generic drug manufacturers to maintain and fix prices, allocate customers, and other alleged antitrust offenses concerning the sale of generic drugs. The indictment identified the following generic drugs: Pravastatin, Carbamazepine, Clotrimazole, Etodolac (IR and ER), Fluocinonide (Cream
E-Cream,
Gel, and Ointment), Warfarin, Etodolac (IR), Nadolol, Temozolomide, and Tobramycin. On September 8, 2020, Teva USA pled not guilty to all counts. A tentative trial date is yet to be scheduled. While the Company is unable to estimate a range of loss at this time, a conviction on these criminal charges could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, including monetary penalties and debarment from federally funded health care programs.
In May 2018, Teva received a civil investigative demand from the DOJ Civil Division, pursuant to the federal False Claims Act, seeking documents and information produced since January 1, 2009 relevant to the Civil Division’s investigation concerning allegations that generic pharmaceutical manufacturers, including Teva, engaged in market allocation and price-fixing agreements, paid illegal remuneration, and caused false claims to be submitted in violation of the False Claims Act. An adverse resolution of this matter may include fines, penalties, financial forfeiture and compliance conditions.
In 2015 and 2016, Actavis and Teva USA each respectively received a subpoena from the Connecticut Attorney General seeking documents and other information relating to potential state antitrust law violations. Subsequently, on December 15, 2016, a civil action was brought by the attorneys general of twenty states against Teva USA and several other companies asserting claims under federal antitrust law alleging price fixing of generic products in the United States. That complaint was later amended to add new states as named plaintiffs, as well as new allegations and new state law claims, and on June 18, 2018, the attorneys general of 49 states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia filed a consolidated amended complaint against Actavis and Teva, as well as other companies and individuals. On May 10, 2019, most (though not all) of these attorneys general filed another antitrust complaint against Actavis, Teva and other companies and individuals, alleging price-fixing and market allocation with respect to additional generic products. On November 1, 2019, the state attorneys general filed an amended complaint, bringing the total number of plaintiff states and territories to 54. The amended complaint alleges that Teva was at the center of a conspiracy in the generic pharmaceutical industry, and asserts that Teva and others fixed prices, rigged bids, and allocated customers and market share with respect to certain additional products. On June 10, 2020, most, but not all, of the same states, with the addition of the U.S. Virgin Islands, filed a third complaint in the District of Connecticut naming, among other defendants, Actavis, but not Teva USA in a similar complaint relating to dermatological generics products. In the various complaints described above, the states seek a finding that the defendants’ actions violated federal antitrust law and state antitrust and consumer protection laws, as well as injunctive relief, disgorgement, damages on behalf of various state and governmental entities and consumers, civil penalties and costs. All such complaints have been transferred to the generic drug multidistrict litigation in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania (“Pennsylvania MDL”). On July 13, 2020, the court overseeing the Pennsylvania MDL chose the attorneys’ general November 1, 2019 amended complaint, referenced above, along with three complaints filed by private plaintiffs, to proceed first in the litigation as bellwether complaints. Teva moved the court to reconsider that ruling. The motion was granted on February 9, 2021 and on May 7, 2021, the Court chose the attorneys’ general third complaint (from June 10, 2020) to serve as a bellwether complaint in the Pennsylvania MDL. In June 2021, Teva settled with the State of Mississippi for
 $925,000, and the State dismissed its claims against Actavis and Teva USA, as well as certain former employees of Actavis and Teva USA, pursuant to that settlement.
Beginning on March 2, 2016, and continuing through December 2020, numerous complaints have been filed in the United States on behalf of putative classes of direct and indirect purchasers of several generic drug products, as well as several individual direct and indirect purchaser
opt-out
plaintiffs. These complaints, which allege that the defendants engaged in conspiracies to fix prices and/or allocate market share of generic products have been brought against various manufacturer defendants, including Teva USA and Actavis. The plaintiffs generally seek injunctive relief and damages under federal antitrust law, and damages under various state laws. On October 16, 2018, the court denied certain of the defendants’ motions to dismiss as to certain federal claims, pending as of that date, and on February 15, 2019, the court granted in part and denied in part defendants’ motions to dismiss as to certain state law claims. On July 18, 2019, and again on May 6, 2020, certain individual plaintiffs commenced a civil action in the Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County against many of the defendants in the Pennsylvania MDL, including Teva and Actavis, but no complaint has been filed in either action and, both cases have been placed in deferred status. On November 13, 2019, and again on August 24, 2020, certain counties in New York commenced civil actions against many of the defendants in the Pennsylvania MDL, including Teva and Actavis, and the complaints have been transferred to the Pennsylvania MDL. On December 15, 2020, several additional New York counties filed suit in New York state court raising similar allegations, and the case was removed to federal court on March 26, 2021 and has been transferred to the Pennsylvania MDL. On March 1, 2020, Harris County in Texas filed a complaint against several generic manufacturers including Teva and Actavis in the District Court for the Southern District of Texas, which has been transferred to the Pennsylvania MDL. There is also one similar complaint brought in Canada, which alleges that the defendants engaged in conspiracies to fix prices and/or allocate market share of generic drug products to the detriment of a class of private payors. The action is in its early stages.
In March 2017, Teva received a subpoena from the U.S. Attorney’s office in Boston, Massachusetts requesting documents related to Teva’s donations to patient assistance programs. Subsequently, in August 2020, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Boston, Massachusetts brought a civil action in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts alleging violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, and asserting causes of action under the federal False Claims Act and state law. It is alleged that Teva caused the submission of false claims to Medicare through Teva’s donations to bona fide independent charities that provide financial assistance to patients. An adverse judgment may involve damages, civil penalties and injunctive remedies. On October 19, 2020, Teva filed a motion to dismiss the complaint on the grounds that it fails to state a claim, and that motion remains pending. Additionally, on January 8, 2021, Humana, Inc. filed an action against Teva in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida based on the allegations raised in the August 2020 complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston. On April 2, 2021, Teva filed a motion to dismiss the claims on the grounds that the claims are time-barred and/or insufficiently pled, and that motion remains pending.
In April 2021, a city and county in Washington sued Teva in the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington for alleged violations of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, Washington’s Consumer Protection Act, and unjust enrichment concerning Teva’s sale of COPAXONE. Plaintiffs purport to represent a nationwide class of health plans and a subclass of Washington-based health plans that purchased and/or reimbursed health plan members for COPAXONE. Plaintiffs allege that Teva engaged in several fraudulent schemes that resulted in plaintiffs and the putative class members purchasing and/or reimbursing plan members for additional prescriptions of COPAXONE and/or at inflated COPAXONE prices. Plaintiffs seek treble damages for the excess reimbursements and inflated costs, as well as injunctive relief. On July 2, 2021, Teva moved to dismiss the suit arguing that plaintiffs’ claims are barred by the applicable statutes of limitations, plaintiffs cannot recover under the direct purchaser rule, and that plaintiffs failed to plausibly allege fraud or other elements of their claims. That motion remains pending.    
O
n June 29, 2021, Mylan Pharmaceuticals sued Teva in District Court for the District of New Jersey for alleged violations of the Lanham Act, unfair competition, monopolization, tortious interference, and trade libel. Plaintiffs claim Teva was involved in an unlawful scheme to delay and hinder generic competition concerning COPAXONE sales. Plaintiffs seek damages for lost profits and expens
e
s, disgorgement, treble damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, and injunctive relief.
Opioids Litigation
Since May 2014, more than
3,500
complaints have been filed with respect to opioid sales and distribution against various Teva affiliates, along with several other pharmaceutical companies, by a number of cities, counties, states, other governmental agencies, tribes and private plaintiffs (including various putative class actions of individuals) in both state and federal courts. Most of the federal cases have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation in the Northern District of Ohio (“MDL Opioid Proceeding”) and many of the cases filed in state court have been removed to federal court and consolidated into the MDL Opioid Proceeding. Two cases that were included in the MDL Opioid Proceeding were transferred back to federal district court for additional discovery,
pre-trial
proceedings and trial. Those cases are: City of Chicago v. Purdue Pharma L.P. et al., No.
14-cv-04361
(N.D. Ill.) and City and County of San Francisco v. Purdue Pharma L.P. et al., No.
18-cv-07591-CRB
(N.D. Cal.). Other cases remain pending in various states. In some jurisdictions, such as Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and West Virginia, certain state court cases have been transferred to a single court within their respective state court systems for coordinated pretrial proceedings. Complaints asserting claims under similar provisions of different state law, generally contend that the defendants allegedly engaged in improper marketing and distribution of opioids, including ACTIQ
®
and FENTORA
®
. The complaints also assert claims related to Teva’s generic opioid products. In addition, over 950 personal injury plaintiffs, including various putative class actions of individuals, have asserted personal injury and wrongful death claims in over 600 complaints, nearly all of which are consolidated in the MDL Opioid Proceeding. Furthermore, approximately 700 complaints have named Anda, Inc. (and other distributors and manufacturers) alleging that Anda failed to develop and implement systems sufficient to identify suspicious orders of opioid products and prevent the abuse and diversion of such products to individuals who used them for other than legitimate medical purposes. Plaintiffs seek a variety of remedies, including restitution, civil penalties, disgorgement of profits, treble damages, attorneys’ fees and injunctive relief. Certain plaintiffs assert that the measure of damages is the entirety of the costs associated with addressing the abuse of opioids and opioid addiction and certain plaintiffs specify multiple billions of dollars in the aggregate as alleged damages. The individual personal injury plaintiffs further seek
non-economic
damages. In many of these cases, plaintiffs are seeking joint and several damages among all defendants.
On April 19, 2021, a bench trial in California (The People of the State of California, acting by and through Santa Clara County Counsel James R. Williams, et. al. v. Purdue Pharma L.P., et. al.) commenced with Teva and other defendants focused on the marketing of branded opioids. On June 29, 2021, a jury trial in New York (
In re Opioid Litigation
, Index No. 400000/2017)) commenced, with Teva and other defendants, focused on the marketing and distribution of opioids. Absent resolutions, additional trials are expected to proceed in several states in 2022.
In May 2019, Teva settled the Oklahoma litigation brought by the Oklahoma Attorney General (State of Oklahoma, ex. rel. Mike Hunter, Attorney General of Oklahoma vs. Purdue Pharma L.P., et. al.) for $85 million. The settlement did not include any admission of violation of law for any of the claims or allegations made. As the Company demonstrated a willingness to settle part of the litigation, for accounting purposes, management considered a portion of opioid-related cases as probable and, as such, recorded an estimated provision in the second quarter of 2019. Given the relatively early stage of the cases, management viewed no amount within the range to be the most likely outcome. Therefore, management recorded a provision for the reasonably estimable minimum amount in the assessed range for such opioid-related cases in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 450 “Accounting for Contingencies.”
Additionally, on October 21, 2019, Teva reached a settlement with the two plaintiffs in the MDL Opioid Proceeding that was scheduled for trial for the Track One case, Cuyahoga and Summit Counties of Ohio. Under the terms of the settlement, Teva will provide the two counties with opioid treatment medication, buprenorphine naloxone (sublingual tablets), known by the brand name Suboxone®, with a value 
of $25 million at wholesale acquisition cost and distributed over three years to help in the care and treatment of people suffering from addiction, and a cash payment in the amount of $20 
million, which has been paid.
Also on October 21, 2019, Teva and certain other defendants reached an agreement in principle with a group of Attorneys General from North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas for a nationwide settlement. This nationwide settlement was designed to provide a mechanism by which the Company attempts to seek resolution of remaining potential and pending opioid claims by both the U.S. states and political subdivisions (i.e., counties, tribes and other plaintiffs) thereof. Under this nationwide settlement, Teva would provide buprenorphine naloxone (sublingual tablets) with an estimated value of up to approximately $23 billion at wholesale acquisition cost over a ten year period. In addition, Teva would also provide cash payments of up to $250 million over a ten year period.
D
u
ring the passage of time since then, the Company has continued to negotiate the terms and conditions of a nationwide settlement. On July 21, 2021, it was announced that four other defendants (not including Teva) have reached a nationwide settlement, subject to certain conditions, which includes payment of up to approximately $26 billion spread over up to 18 years. The achievement of this settlement may similarly present an opportunity for Teva to arrive at a settlement, although there do remain many complex financial and legal issues still outstanding, including indemnification claims by Allergan against the Company, arising from the acquisition of the Actavis Generics business. The Company cannot predict if a settlement will be finalized.
The Company considered a range of potential settlement outcomes. The current provision remains a reasonable estimate of the ultimate costs if a settlement is finalized based on the Company’s most recent offer to settle. However, if not finalized for the entirety of the cases, a reasonable upper end of a range of loss cannot be determined. An adverse resolution of any of these lawsuits or investigations may involve large monetary penalties, damages, and/or other forms of monetary and
non-monetary
relief and could have a material and adverse effect on Teva’s reputation, business, results of operations and cash flows.
Separately, on April 27, 2018, Teva received subpoena requests from the United States Attorney’s office in the Western District of Virginia and the Civil Division seeking documents relating to the manufacture, marketing and sale of branded opioids. In August 2019, Teva received a grand jury subpoena from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for documents related to the Company’s anti-diversion policies and procedures and distribution of its opioid medications, in what the Company understands to be part of a broader investigation into manufacturers’ and distributors’ monitoring programs and reporting under the Controlled Substances Act. In September 2019, Teva received subpoenas from the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) as part of an industry-wide inquiry into the effect of opioid prescriptions on New York health insurance premiums. This was followed by a Statement of Charges and Notice of Hearing filed by the NYDFS, although no hearing date is currently set. Currently, Teva cannot predict how a nationwide settlement (if finalized) will affect these investigations and administrative actions. In addition, a number of state attorneys general, including a coordinated multistate effort, have initiated investigations into sales and marketing practices of Teva and its affiliates with respect to opioids. Other states are conducting their own investigations outside of the multistate group. Teva is cooperating with these ongoing investigations and cannot predict their outcome at this time.
In addition, several jurisdictions and consumers in Canada have initiated litigation regarding opioids alleging similar claims as those in the United States. The cases in Canada may be consolidated and are in their early stages.
Shareholder Litigation
On November 6, 2016 and December 27, 2016, two putative securities class actions were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Teva and certain of its current and former officers and directors. Those lawsuits were consolidated and transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut (the “Ontario Teachers Securities Litigation”). On December 13, 2019, the lead plaintiff in that action filed an amended complaint, purportedly on behalf of purchasers of Teva’s securities between February 6, 2014 and May 10, 2019. The amended complaint asserts that Teva and certain of its current and former officers and directors violated federal securities and common laws in connection with Teva’s alleged failure to disclose pricing strategies for various drugs in its generic drug portfolio and by making allegedly false or misleading statements in certain offering materials. The amended complaint seeks unspecified damages, legal fees, interest, and costs. In July 2017, August 2017, and June 2019, other putative securities class actions were filed in other federal courts based on similar allegations, and those cases have been transferred to the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. Between August 2017 and October 2020, twenty complaints were filed against Teva and certain of its current and former officers and directors seeking unspecified compensatory damages, legal fees, costs and expenses. The similar claims in these complaints have been brought on behalf of plaintiffs, in various forums across the country, who have indicated that they intend to
“opt-out”
of the Ontario Teachers Securities Litigation. On March 10, 2020, the Court consolidated the Ontario Teachers Securities Litigation with all of the above-referenced putative class actions for all purposes and the
“opt-out”
cases for pretrial purposes. The case is now in discovery. Pursuant to that consolidation order, plaintiffs in several of the
“opt-out”
cases filed amended complaints on May 28, 2020. On January 22, 2021, the Court dismissed the
“opt-out”
plaintiffs’ claims arising from statements made prior to the five year statute of repose, but denied Teva’s motion to dismiss their claims under Israeli laws. Those
“opt-out”
plaintiffs moved for reconsideration, which was denied on March 30, 2021. On May 24, 2021, Teva moved to dismiss a majority of the
“opt-out”
complaints on various other grounds. The Ontario Teachers Securities Litigation plaintiffs’ Motion for Class Certification and Appointment of Class Representatives and Class Counsel was granted on March 9, 2021, to which Teva’s appeal was denied. Motions to approve securities class actions were also filed in the Tel Aviv District Court in Israel with similar allegations to those made in the Ontario Teachers Securities Litigation.
On September 23, 2020, a putative securities class action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Teva and certain of its former officers alleging, among other things, violations of Section 10(b) of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and SEC Rule
10b-5.
The complaint, purportedly filed on behalf of persons who purchased or otherwise acquired Teva securities between October 29, 2015 and August 18, 2020, alleges that Teva and certain of its former officers violated federal securities laws by allegedly making false and misleading statements regarding the commercial performance of COPAXONE, namely, by failing to disclose that Teva had caused the submission of false claims to Medicare through Teva’s donations to bona fide independent charities that provide financial assistance to patients, which allegedly impacted COPAXONE’s commercial success and the sustainability of its revenues and resulted in the above referenced August 2020 False Claims Act complaint filed by the DOJ. On March 26, 2021, the Court appointed lead plaintiff and lead counsel. On May 25, 2021, lead plaintiff filed an amended class action complaint, which names four additional former and current officers as defendants. The amended complaint seeks unspecified damages, legal fees, interest, and costs. Defendants’ response to the amended complaint is currently due by August 13, 2021. A motion to approve a securities class action was also filed in the Central District Court in Israel, which has been stayed pending the U.S. litigation, with similar allegations to those made in the above complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Motions to approve derivative actions against certain past and present directors and officers have been filed in Israeli Courts alleging negligence and recklessness with respect to the acquisition of the Rimsa business, the acquisition of Actavis Generics and the patent settlement relating to Lidoderm
®
. Motions for document disclosure prior to initiating derivative actions were filed with respect to several U.S. and EU settlement agreements, opioids, the U.S. price-fixing investigations and allegations related to the DOJ’s complaint regarding Copaxone patient assistance program in the U.S. as well as allegations related to the European Commission investigation. In June 2021, the Tel Aviv District Court approved the settlement reached with respect to the derivative proceeding with regard to the acquisition of Actavis Generics and two related actions, including the derivative proceedings
related to allegations in connection with the Lidoderm
®
patent settlement agreement.
Environmental Matters
Teva or its subsidiaries are party to a number of environmental proceedings, or have received claims, including under the federal Superfund law or other federal, provincial or state and local laws, imposing liability for alleged noncompliance, or for the investigation and remediation of releases of hazardous substances and for natural resource damages. Many of these proceedings and claims seek to require the generators of hazardous wastes disposed of at a third party-owned site, or the party responsible for a release of hazardous substances that impacted a site, to investigate and clean the site or to pay or reimburse others for such activities, including for oversight by governmental authorities and any related damages to natural resources. Teva or its subsidiaries have received claims, or been made a party to these proceedings, along with others, as an alleged generator of wastes that were disposed of or treated at third-party waste disposal sites, or as a result of an alleged release from one of Teva’s facilities or former facilities.
Although liability among the responsible parties, under certain circumstances, may be joint and several, these proceedings are frequently resolved so that the allocation of
clean-up
and other costs among the parties reflects the relative contributions of the parties to the site conditions and takes into account other pertinent factors. Teva’s potential liability varies greatly at each of the sites; for some sites the costs of the investigation,
clean-up
and natural resource damages have not yet been determined, and for others Teva’s allocable share of liability has not been determined. At other sites, Teva has taken an active role in identifying those costs, to the extent they are identifiable and estimable, which do not include reductions for potential recoveries of
clean-up
costs from insurers, indemnitors, former site owners or operators or other potentially responsible parties. In addition, enforcement proceedings relating to alleged violations of federal, state, commonwealth or local requirements at some of Teva’s facilities may result in the imposition of significant penalties (in amounts not expected to materially adversely affect Teva’s results of operations) and the recovery of certain costs and natural resource damages, and may require that corrective actions and enhanced compliance measures be implemented.
Item 103 of Regulation
S-K
promulgated by the SEC requires disclosure of certain environmental matters when a governmental authority is a party to the proceedings and such proceedings involve potential monetary sanctions, unless the Company reasonably believes that the matter will result in no monetary sanctions, or in monetary sanctions, exclusive of interest and costs, of less than $300,000. The following matter is disclosed in accordance with that requirement. On July 8, 2021, the National Green Tribunal Principal Bench, New Delhi, issued an order against Teva’s subsidiary in India, Teva API India Private Limited, finding
non-compliance
with environmental laws and assessed a penalty of $1.4 million. The Company expects to dispute certain of the findings and the amount of the penalty and file an appeal before the Supreme Court in India. The Company does not believe that the eventual outcome of such matter will have a material effect on its business.
Other Matters
On February 1, 2018, former shareholders of Ception Therapeutics, Inc., a company that was acquired by and merged into Cephalon in 2010, prior to Cephalon’s acquisition by Teva, filed breach of contract and other related claims against the Company, Teva USA and Cephalon in the Delaware Court of Chancery. Among other things, the plaintiffs allege that Cephalon breached the terms of the 2010 Ception-Cephalon merger agreement by failing to exercise commercially reasonable efforts to develop and commercialize CINQAIR
®
(reslizumab) for the treatment of eosinophilic esophagitis (“EE”). The plaintiffs claim damages of at least $200 million, an amount they allege is equivalent to the milestones payable to the former shareholders of Ception in the event Cephalon were to obtain regulatory approval for EE in the United States ($150 million) and Europe ($50 million). Defendants moved to dismiss the complaint and on December 28, 2018, the court granted the motion in part and di
s
missed all of plaintiffs’ claims, except for their claim against Cephalon for breach of contract. Trial in this matter is currently scheduled for June 2022.