A federal judge in New York has dismissed an antitrust lawsuit that alleged four drug manufacturers manipulated the pricing of insulin products under a program intended to deliver low-cost medications to underserved patients.

In a 23-page opinion last week, Chief Judge Elizabeth Wolford of U.S. District Court, Western District in Rochester wrote that the plaintiffs failed to present a viable claim under the Sherman Act, both because the lawsuit hadn’t plausibly alleged parallel conduct by the defendants, and because it hadn’t plausibly alleged conduct giving rise to an inference of conspiracy.

Elizabeth Wolford, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of New York. Elizabeth Wolford, U.S. District Judge for the Western District of New York. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM