Novartis fined $195 million in generic price-fixing scheme

Sandoz, the generic drug unit of pharmaceutical giant Novartis, has admitted that it colluded with other companies to inflate the prices of various generic drugs and is paying $195 million to resolve charges, the Department of Justice said Monday.

Why it matters: This is the largest criminal penalty in a U.S. antitrust case, and Sandoz is now the third company to admit guilt within the wide-ranging scheme to fix prices of generic drugs. Sandoz's admission implicates more generic drugmakers.