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Maryland AG: Illegal Price-setting Agreement in Contact Lens Market Raises Customer Costs

March 4th, 2016 by WCBC Radio

The nation’s largest maker of contact lenses is being accused of violating Maryland’s antitrust law by conspiring with retailers to set a higher minimum price for their products, Attorney General Brian E. Frosh announced today.

Attorney General Frosh said that the Office of the Attorney General Antitrust Division has filed a civil complaint charging Florida-based Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., the makers of Acuvue lenses, with violations of the Maryland Antitrust Act. The complaint seeks civil penalties and an end to the anti-competitive pricing policy.

According to documents obtained during an investigation, customers are paying 35 percent more for a monthly supply of Acuvue lenses based on a pricing strategy imposed on club membership discount stores.

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