CHARLESTON, W.Va. –State Attorney General J.B McCuskey announcing Friday that they have distributed nearly $3.5 million dollars to counties and cities in West Virginia as part of a recently settled antitrust lawsuit with Pfizer and Ranbaxy.

J.B. McCuskey

The lawsuit, which began in 2013 under Governor Patrick Morrisey who was the attorney general at the time, alleged that both companies delayed the release of the Ranbaxy’s generic version of the cholesterol drug Lipitor for 20 months.

According to McCuskey, the companies delay of the generic version forced PEIA, Public Employees Insurance Agency, to buy Lipitor and in turn increased costs for members.

McCuskey said that counties will be receiving a total of $1.6 million dollars and cities will be receiving a total of $1.8 million dollars as part of the settlement.

He says he hopes to reduce the costs for PEIA members.

“What we’re really hopeful for here is that these $50,000, $60,000, $80,000 dollar checks that are going out to all of our counties and cities as part of our consumer protection division will go a long way to helping ease the burden of PEIA on the employees of our cities and our counties,” McCuskey said.

St. Albans Mayor Scott James and Putnam County Commissioner Andy Skidmore were on hand during the announcement to receive their checks personally from McCuskey.

St. Albans received an individual check for $25,000 dollars and Putnam County received an individual check for $50,000. All other checks will be sent via mail to the remaining counties and cities.

James said that every time that PEIA would have increases, the town would eat that cost, meaning that residents haven’t had an increase for 25 to 30 years.

He says the money will help the city not have to raise costs for state employees.

“And the money that we’re receiving through this is going to help us not put the burden on the employees and allow us to eat the majority of the costs, if not all the costs of PEIA increase,” James said.

Skidmore said that he was happy to be able to receive the check personally because of all the hard work that McCuskey’s office has done to get the lawsuit settled.

“Happy to come up here and support the work that you and your team are doing to try to mitigate those costs and return money back to those citizens that are being affected by these things,” he said. “Again, all the works being done, we’re just happy to be a part of it and continue to move forward.”

McCuskey gave credit to the people he brought to work for him, because they helped settle this lawsuit.

“Again, is a real testament to the people that I have brought on my staff, but also great work to the people in the office they were really really great at having a new boss and saying how are we going to fit in this new system,” he said.

Along with the WV cities and counties receiving money, the Bureau for Medical Services and West Virginia PEIA have received $3.8 million dollars for Medicaid and PEIA overpayments related to the drug Lipitor.

McCuskey also said that individuals who was on the drug Lipitor from March 24, 2010, to November 20, 2011, and paid higher drug prices due to the delayed introduction of the generic form are also eligible to file a claim.

“If you reach out to our office, go on the website we will put all the information a consumer might need to apply to get that reimbursement in the mail,” he said.

The attorney general’s office should be announcing soon how the reimbursement process will go for those individuals.