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Commitments and contingencies
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2022
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, or 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 data.
Intellectual Property Litigation
From time to time, Teva seeks to develop generic and biosimilar versions of patent-protected pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals 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. For many biosimilar products that are covered by patents, Teva participates in the “patent dance” procedures of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA), which allow for the challenge to originator patents prior to obtaining biosimilar product approval. 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 or biosimilar version of the product 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 or BPCIA. For example, Teva could be sued for patent infringement after commencing sales of a product. This type of litigation can involve any of Teva’s pharmaceutical products, not just its generic and biosimilar products.
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 the District Court for the District of Delaware 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 August 5, 2021, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a
two-to-one
decision reinstating the $235.5 million verdict and finding Teva liable for patent infringement. On February 11, 2022, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied rehearing. Teva appealed this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court on July 11, 2022. In response to Teva’s
certiorari
petition, on October 3, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court issued an order seeking the views of the U.S. Solicitor General as to whether to review this case. At the same time, the case has been remanded to the district court for further proceedings on 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.
In October 2016, Adapt and Emergent Biosciences Inc. (“EBSI”) sued Teva in the District Court for the District of New Jersey, asserting infringement of its patents expiring in 2035, as a result of Teva’s filing of its Abbreviated New Drug Application (“ANDA”) seeking to market a generic version of Narcan
®
nasal spray. In June 2020, the court issued a decision finding all of EBSI’s patents expiring in 2035, to be invalid. On December 22, 2021, Teva launched its generic version of Narcan
®
nasal spray. On February 10, 2022, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the lower court decision finding that EBSI’s patents are invalid. On May 5, 2022, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit denied EBSI’s petition for rehearing. EBSI did not seek the U.S. Supreme Court’s review of this decision within the time allowed, so this case is now closed.
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 types of insurance, 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 and plaintiffs have filed amended complaints. The judge in the valsartan MDL has indicated that the first trial, likely commencing in 2023, will consider third-party payor economic loss claims against Teva and two other defendants. In the ranitidine MDL, the generics manufacturers’ motions to dismiss have been granted, although certain plaintiffs have appeals pending. Teva, as well as other generic manufacturers, is also named in several state court actions asserting allegations similar to those in the ranitidine MDL and the valsartan and losartan MDL. The state court valsartan and losartan actions are pending in New Jersey and Delaware and are currently stayed. The state court ranitidine cases naming Teva are pending in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania and New York, with coordinated proceedings in California, Illinois and Pennsylvania. 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. Defendants’ motion to dismiss the plaintiffs’ amended metformin complaint from June 2021, was granted without prejudice with respect to the consumer economic loss plaintiffs and granted in part and denied in part with respect to the end payor plaintiffs. Plaintiffs were granted leave to file a second amended complaint, which defendants have moved to dismiss. Those motions are currently pending. 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 been named as defendants in cases that allege antitrust violations arising from such settlement agreements. The plaintiffs in these cases are usually direct and indirect purchasers of pharmaceutical products, some of whom assert claims on behalf of classes of all direct and indirect purchasers, and they typically allege that (i) Teva received something of value from the innovator in exchange for an agreement to delay generic entry, and (ii) significant savings could have been realized if there had been no settlement agreement and generic competition had commenced earlier. These plaintiffs 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 often 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., 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 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 euro 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.
In December 2011, three groups of plaintiffs sued Wyeth and Teva for alleged violations of the antitrust laws in connection with their November 2005 settlement of patent litigation involving extended release venlafaxine (generic Effexor XR
®
). 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 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. On April 9, 2021, the district court, which had previously granted an initial motion for class certification by the direct purchaser plaintiffs but was reversed on that ruling by the Third Circuit in April 2020, denied the direct purchaser plaintiffs’ renewed motion for class certification. Plaintiffs thereafter sought leave to file a supplemental expert report in an effort to show that they could still meet the class certification standard, which was denied in full on January 21, 2022, and on April 21, 2022, the court entered a schedule for additional briefing on the remaining class certification issues. Plaintiffs filed a further renewed motion for class certification on May 20, 2022, which defendants opposed, and that motion remains pending. 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 was subsequently denied with prejudice by the district court and is now on appeal before the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. In October 2016, the District Attorney for Orange County, California, filed a similar complaint in California state court, alleging violations of state law and seeking restitution and civil penalties. 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.
Putative classes of direct-purchaser and
end-payer
plaintiffs have filed antitrust lawsuits (which have since been coordinated in federal court in Delaware) against Amgen and Teva alleging that the January 2, 2019 settlement agreement between Amgen and Teva, resolving patent litigation over cinacalcet (generic Sensipar
®
), violated the antitrust laws. On November 30, 2020, the district court denied Teva’s motion to dismiss in part, and on February 16, 2021, plaintiffs filed amended complaints. On March 30, 2021, Teva again moved to dismiss those claims based on plaintiffs’ failure to allege both that the settlement violated the antitrust laws and that the settlement caused any actual injury to plaintiffs. On March 11, 2022, the district court denied Teva’s motion to dismiss in part. Teva has requested that the district court certify its rulings for review by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and is awaiting the court’s decision. 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.
In August 2019, certain direct-purchaser plaintiffs filed claims in federal court in Philadelphia naming Teva and its affiliates as defendants alleging that certain patent litigation settlement agreements relating to AndroGel
®
1% (testosterone gel) violate the antitrust laws, specifically the September 2006 patent litigation settlement between Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Watson”), from which Teva later acquired certain assets and liabilities, and Solvay Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (“Solvay”), and a 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 and related litigations in Georgia that have since been settled was included in the financial statements.
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 moved to dismiss. On January 24, 2022, the court dismissed plaintiffs’ amended complaints without prejudice. The plaintiffs filed amended complaints on February 22, 2022, which defendants (including Teva, Actavis and Watson) moved to dismiss on April 19, 2022, and the court has scheduled oral argument for November 3, 2022. Annual sales of Bystolic
®
in the United States were approximately $700 million at the time of Watson’s 2013 settlement with Forest.
In February 2021, the State of New Mexico filed a lawsuit against Teva and certain other defendants related to various medicines used to treat HIV. Between September and December 2021, several private plaintiffs including retailers and health insurance providers filed similar claims in federal court in the Northern District of California and in the District of Minnesota. As they relate to Teva, the lawsuits challenge settlement agreements Teva entered into with Gilead in 2013 and 2014 to resolve patent litigation relating to Teva’s generic versions of Viread
®
, Truvada
®
, and Atripla
®
. Plaintiffs
allege that the settlements contain improper reverse payments that delayed the availability of Teva’s generic products, in violation of the federal antitrust laws and state law. Several recently filed cases are in the process of being coordinated with the existing litigation in the Northern District of California. On February 16, 2022, Teva moved to dismiss the claims by certain private plaintiffs but that motion was denied. However, Teva has successfully moved to limit the potential damages period as to certain private plaintiffs. Discovery in those cases is now closed. Plaintiffs in these cases have abandoned any claim for damages relating to the Viread
®
settlement. Defendants have submitted summary judgment motions, and briefing is ongoing. Trial is currently scheduled to commence in March 2023. On August 5, 2021, Teva moved to dismiss the complaint brought by the State of New Mexico, and on December 20, 2021, the trial court denied Teva’s motion. The trial court certified the decision as appropriate for interlocutory appeal, but on April 8, 2022, the appellate court in New Mexico declined to accept the appeal. Teva has appealed the decision to the New Mexico Supreme Court, and that appeal remains pending. Annual sales in the United States at the time of the settlement of Viread
®
, Truvada
®
and Atripla
®
were approximately $582 million, $2.4 billion, and $2.9 billion, respectively. Annual sales in the United States at the time Teva launched its generic version of Viread
®
in 2017, Truvada
®
in 2020 and Atripla
®
in 2020 were approximately $728 million, $2.1 billion and $444 million, respectively.
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. On October 10, 2022, the European Commission issued a Statement of Objections, which sets forth its preliminary allegations that Teva had engaged in anti-competitive practices. Teva now has the opportunity to formally respond to the European Commission’s allegations. Annual sales of COPAXONE in the European Economic Area for 2021 were approximately $373 million.
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. On October 6, 2021, Accord UK and Auden Mckenzie appealed the CMA’s decision. A provision for the estimated exposure for Teva related to the fines and/or damages has been recorded in the financial statements.
In August 2021, a plaintiff filed a putative class action suit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Takeda and several generic manufacturers, including Watson and Teva, alleging violations of the antitrust laws in connection with their settlement of patent litigation involving colchicine tablets (generic Colcrys
®
), entered into in January 2016. Plaintiff claims that the settlement was part of a horizontal conspiracy among Takeda and the generic manufacturers to unlawfully restrict output of colchicine by delaying generic entry. Defendants moved to dismiss the complaint for failure to state a claim. On December 28, 2021, the Court granted the defendants’ motion to dismiss, finding that plaintiff’s allegations were implausible, but granted plaintiff leave to amend, and on January 18, 2022, plaintiff filed its amended complaint, making substantively the same antitrust allegations as before, but with certain new allegations regarding the nature of the alleged conspiracy. On March 30, 2022, the Court granted in part and denied in part defendants’ motion to dismiss, dismissing the newly pled bilateral conspiracy claims but allowing the revised overarching conspiracy claim to proceed against all defendants. On April 8, 2022, Teva and Watson, along with their codefendant Amneal, moved the court to reconsider its partial
motion-to-dismiss
denial or, in the alternative, to certify that denial for immediate appellate review. However, that motion was denied on April 25, 2022. The case is in discovery, and plaintiff’s motion for class certification was fully briefed on September 28, 2022 and remains pending. Annual sales of Colcrys
®
in the United States were approximately $187 million at the time of the settlement.
 
Government Investigations and Litigation Relating to Pricing and Marketing
Teva is involved in government investigations and litigation arising 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 three separate conspiracies 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, 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. On September 9, 2021, the states’ attorneys general amended their third complaint to, among other things, add California as a plaintiff. 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 certain complaints filed by private plaintiffs, to proceed first in the litigation as bellwether complaints. On February 9, 2021, Teva’s motion to reconsider that ruling was granted, and on May 7, 2021, the Court chose the attorneys’ general third complaint filed on June 10, 2020 and subsequently amended to serve as a bellwether complaint in the Pennsylvania MDL, along with certain complaints filed by private plaintiffs. On December 9, 2021, the Court entered an order setting the schedule for the proceedings in the bellwether cases. The order did not include trial dates, but provides for the parties to complete briefing on motions for summary judgement in early 2024. On June 7, 2022, the Court dismissed the attorneys’ general claims for monetary relief under federal law, concluding that the federal statute under which the attorneys general brought suit authorizes injunctive relief only. However, the attorneys general have pending claims for monetary relief under state law. Teva has settled with the states of Mississippi (in June 2021), Louisiana (in March 2022), Georgia (in September 2022) and Arkansas (in October 2022). Teva paid each state an amount proportional
to its share of the national population (approximately $1,000,000 for each 1%
share of the national population), and the states have dismissed their claims against Actavis and Teva USA, as well as certain former employees of Actavis and Teva USA, pursuant to these settlements. On March 30, 2022, the State of Alabama voluntarily dismissed all of its claims in the litigation, including its claims against Actavis and Teva USA, without prejudice. The most recent settlements with Georgia and Arkansas follow the pattern reached in earlier settlements. Specifically, as mentioned above, Teva agreed to pay each state an amount proportional to its share of the national population. This, in addition to the status of ongoing negotiations with several other U.S. state attorneys general to settle on comparable terms, caused management to consider settlement of the claims filed by the remaining attorneys general to be probable, and management recorded an estimated provision in the third quarter of 2022, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 450 “Accounting for Contingencies.”
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, May 6, 2020 and October 8, 2021, certain individual plaintiffs commenced civil actions 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 complaints have been filed in the actions and each of the three of the cases have been placed in deferred status. Certain counties in New York and Texas have also 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. 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 September 10, 2021, the Court granted Teva’s motion to dismiss the unjust enrichment claim and denied the remainder of the motion. On October 15, 2021, Teva filed an answer to the complaint. Trial for this matter is currently scheduled for September 2023. 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 and discovery is ongoing.
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 September 28, 2021, plaintiffs filed an amended complaint. On November 17, 2021, Teva moved to dismiss the suit, on the grounds that plaintiffs’ claims are barred by the applicable statutes of limitations and the direct purchaser rule, suffer from jurisdictional defects, and fail to plausibly allege fraud or other elements of their claims. That motion is fully briefed and a decision remains pending.
On June 29, 2021, Mylan Pharmaceuticals (“Mylan”) sued Teva in the District Court for the District of New Jersey. On March 11, 2022 and March 15, 2022, FWK Holdings, LLC, KPH Healthcare Servs., Inc. d/b/a Kinney Drugs, Inc., Meijer Inc., Meijer Distribution, Inc., Labor-Management Healthcare Fund, the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore, and the New York State Teamsters Council Health and Hospital Fund sued Teva in the District Court for the District of New
Jersey on behalf of themselves and other similarly situated direct and indirect purchasers of COPAXONE. On August 22, 2022, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont and the Vermont Health Plan sued Teva in the District Court for the District of Vermont on behalf of themselves and other similarly situated indirect purchasers of COPAXONE. The complaints assert claims for alleged violations of the Lanham Act, state and federal unfair competition and monopolization laws, tortious interference, trade libel, and a violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. 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 expenses, disgorgement, restitution, treble damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, and injunctive relief. Teva has moved to dismiss the complaints filed by Mylan and the class plaintiffs in the District of New Jersey on the grounds, among others, that none of its challenged conduct violates the law. Those motions are fully briefed and a decision remains pending. Teva has moved to transfer the remaining complaint in Vermont to the District of New Jersey and expects to move to dismiss that complaint on similar grounds.
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
non-personal
injury complaints and approximately 100 personal injury 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 against Teva and other defendants focused on the marketing of branded opioids. On December 14, 2021, the court issued its final judgment in favor of the defendants on all claims. Plaintiffs filed a notice of appeal of this judgment in February 2022. On June 29, 2021, a jury trial in New York (
In re Opioid Litigation
, Index No. 
400000
/2017) commenced against Teva and other defendants, focused on the marketing and distribution of opioids. The case was bifurcated between liability and damages. On December 30, 2021, the jury returned a liability verdict in favor of plaintiffs (the County of Suffolk, the County of Nassau and the State of New York) on the plaintiffs’ public nuisance claim. Teva and the plaintiffs filed post-trial motions with respect to the liability portion of the case. In November 2022, Teva reached an agreement with the Attorney General of New York that settles the state’s and its subdivisions’ opioid-related claims.
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 agreed to 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.
On July 21, 2021, it was announced that four other defendants (not including Teva) reached nationwide settlements, subject to certain conditions, which include payment of up to approximately $26 billion spread over up to 18
years. Teva has continued to work toward a nationwide settlement with the working group of States’ Attorneys General (the “Working Group”), the Multi-District Litigation Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee (“PEC”) and counsel for Native American tribes (“Tribes”). In July 2022, the parties reached an agreement in principle on the financial terms of a final nationwide settlement similar in structure to the nationwide settlements of other defendants. During the third quarter of 2022, Teva, the Working Group and PEC made substantial progress toward finalizing the non-financial terms of the proposed nationwide settlement agreement, and Teva and Allergan resolved their dispute with respect to Teva’s indemnification obligations. Under the financial terms of the proposed nationwide settlement agreement, Teva will pay up to
$4.25 billion (including the already settled cases) plus approximately $100 million for the Tribes, spread over 13 years. This total includes the supply of up to $1.2 billion of Teva’s generic version of Narcan
®
(naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray), valued at wholesale acquisition cost, over 10 years or cash at 20% of the wholesale acquisition cost ($240 million) in
lieu of product. The nationwide settlement agreement is contingent upon (i) final documentation of the proposed nationwide settlement agreement; (ii) reaching sufficient participation by states and subdivisions; and (iii) Allergan reaching a nationwide opioids settlement. No other trials currently are scheduled against Teva in 2022 in any opioids matter. If the nationwide settlement agreement is not finalized, additional trials are expected to proceed in several states in 2023.
On September 28, 2021, Teva reached an agreement with the Attorney General of Louisiana that settles the state’s opioid-related claims. The agreement was contingent that all political subdivisions of Louisiana will formally release Teva as part of the settlement, which Teva was advised has occurred by the Attorney General of Louisiana. Under the terms of the settlement, Teva will pay Louisiana $15 million over an
18-year
period and will provide buprenorphine naloxone (sublingual tablets) valued at $3 million (wholesale acquisition cost).
On February 4, 2022,
Teva
reached an agreement with the Attorney General of the State of Texas that settles Texas’ and its subdivisions’ opioid-related claims. On March 10, 2022, Texas confirmed that at least 96% of the population of subdivisions formally released Teva as part of the settlement. Under the terms of the settlement, Teva will pay Texas $150 million over a
15-year
period and will provide its generic version of Narcan
®
(naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray), valued at $75 million (wholesale acquisition cost) over 10 years.
On March 21, 2022, Teva reached an agreement with the Attorney General of Rhode Island that settles Rhode Island’s and its subdivisions’ opioid-related claims. Under the terms of the settlement, Teva will pay Rhode Island $21 million over 13 years, in addition to attorneys’ fees and costs, and will provide its generic version of Narcan
®
(naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray) and a significant amount of buprenorphine naloxone sublingual tablets known by the brand name Suboxone
®
, together valued at $78.5 million (wholesale acquisition cost) over 10 years.
On March 30, 2022, Teva reached an agreement with the Attorney General of Florida that settles Florida’s and its subdivisions’ opioid-related claims. Under the terms of the settlement, Teva will pay Florida $177 million over
15-years,
in addition to attorneys’ fees and costs, and will provide its generic version of Narcan
®
(naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray) valued at $84 million (wholesale acquisition cost) over 10 years.
On May 24, 2022, Teva reached an agreement in principle with the Attorney General of West Virginia that settles West Virginia’s and its subdivisions’ opioid-related claims. Under the terms of the settlement, Teva will pay West Virginia $75 million over
15-years,
in addition to attorneys’ fees and costs, and will provide its generic version of Narcan
®
(naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray) valued at $27 million (wholesale acquisition cost) over 10 years.
On July 12, 2022, Teva reached an agreement in principle with the City and County of San Francisco and the People of the State of California that settles opioid-related claims asserted on behalf of the City and County of San Francisco. Teva will provide San Francisco $20.3 million over 13 years, in addition to attorneys’ fees and costs, and will provide its generic version of Narcan
®
(naloxone hydrochloride nasal spray), valued at $20 million (wholesale acquisition cost), over 10 years.
In light of the agreement in principle on the nationwide settlement between Teva, and the States’
Attorneys
General, their
subdivisions
and the Tribes, the agreement with the Attorney General of New York, Teva’s indemnification obligations arising from Teva’s acquisition of the Actavis Generics business for opioid-related claims, prior settlements with Texas, Florida, Louisiana, Rhode Island, West Virginia and San Francisco, as well as an estimate for a number of items including, but not limited to, costs associated with administering injunctive terms, and most favored nations clauses associated with prior settlements, the Company has reconsidered the potential settlement outcome and revised its provision. The revised provision is a reasonable estimate of the ultimate costs in the likely event that the nationwide settlement is finalized under its current proposed terms and conditions, after discounting payments to states to their net present value. However, if the nationwide settlement is not finalized for the entirety of the remaining 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.
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 merits hearing date is currently set. Currently, Teva cannot predict how the 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 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 January 2022, twenty-three 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. 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. Those motions are still pending. 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. On January 18, 2022, Teva entered into a settlement in the Ontario Teachers Securities Litigation for $420 million, which received final approval from the court on June 2, 2022. Pursuant to an agreement between the Company and its insurance carriers, the insurance carriers provided the vast majority of the total settlement amount, with a small portion contributed by Teva. Additionally, as part of the settlement, Teva admitted no liability and denied all allegations of wrongdoing. A number of
“opt-out”
complaints still remain outstanding, and 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. On August 10, 2021, the lead plaintiff filed a corrected amended class action complaint, purportedly on behalf of persons who purchased or otherwise acquired Teva securities between October 29, 2015 and August 18, 2020. The corrected amended complaint alleges that Teva and certain of its current and 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 allegedly 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. The corrected amended complaint seeks unspecified damages and legal fees. On March 25, 2022, the court granted in part and denied in part Teva’s and the individual defendants’ motion to dismiss the corrected amended complaint, (i) holding that the plaintiffs’ complaint failed to plead that certain public statements regarding Teva’s compliance with the law were misleading, (ii) holding that two alleged partial corrective disclosures did not establish loss causation and cannot serve as the basis for plaintiff’s claimed loss, (iii) dismissing all claims against one of the individual defendants, and (iv) otherwise denying the motion to dismiss. On August 2, 2022, the court stayed all proceedings other than class certification proceedings pending the resolution of the above-referenced August 2020 False Claims Act complaint filed by the DOJ. On September 13, 2022, the plaintiff moved for class certification, which remains pending. 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 seeking monetary damages against certain past and present directors and officers have been filed in Israeli Courts alleging negligence and recklessness. Motions for document disclosure prior to initiating derivative actions were filed with respect to several U.S. and EU settlement agreements, opioids, allegations related to the DOJ’s complaint regarding COPAXONE patient assistance program in the U.S., and with respect to the COPAXONE European Commission’s inspection. A motion for document disclosure prior to initiating derivative action with respect to the U.S. generic drug antitrust litigation matters was settled in October 2022.
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 disputed certain of the findings and the amount of the penalty and filed an appeal before the Supreme Court of India. On August 5, 2021, the Supreme Court of India admitted the appeal for hearing and granted an interim unconditional stay on the National Green Tribunal’s order. 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). On December 28, 2018, following defendants’ motion to dismiss the complaint, the court granted the motion in part and dismissed all of plaintiffs’ claims, except for their claim against Cephalon for breach of contract. In November 2021, plaintiffs moved to amend their complaint to, among other things, reassert claims against the Company and Teva USA. However, on July 12, 2022, plaintiffs filed a new amended complaint that includes claims against Teva USA but not the Company, in exchange for Teva USA’s agreement to guarantee any judgment entered against Cephalon in the litigation. A bench trial for this matter was held in September 2022, and a ruling is expected in 2023, following post-trial briefing and closing arguments.