Attorneys at Hagens Berman Announce $474M Win in Amitiza Jury Trial Against Takeda
Plaintiffs’ attorneys celebrate massive antitrust win against rising pharmaceutical costs
A class-action lawsuit against Takeda Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. on behalf of direct purchasers of Amitiza and its generic equivalents ended today when a jury returned a verdict finding the pharma giant liable for $474.89 million in damages, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman.
Announced damages are pre-trebling, a statutory requirement under U.S. federal antitrust law in which a court must multiply financial damages suffered by three as a punitive deterrent against anticompetitive behavior. This brings the total award to direct purchasers to $1.4 billion. The end payer class and retailer plaintiffs were awarded separate damages.
The five-week trial regarding the drug to treat irritable bowel syndrome and chronic constipation began April 13, 2026. The lawsuit accused brand drug sellers Takeda and Sucampo Pharmaceuticals Inc. of paying Par Pharmaceutical Inc. to delay the launch of its generic Amitiza product by up to seven years when settling patent litigation in the fall of 2014. This delay allegedly resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in overcharges to the proposed class.
