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Alleging an intricate scheme to intentionally prevent competition and monopolize the market for a drug that treats opioid addiction, 36 attorneys general — including Virginia’s Mark Herring — have filed an antitrust lawsuit against Chesterfield County-based Indivior.

Filed Friday under seal, the suit claims that Indivior — formerly known as Reckitt Benckiser Pharmaceuticals — has engaged in “product hopping,” or intentionally changing a product to prevent generic versions of the drug, Suboxone, from entering the market.

“This allowed Reckitt to maintain its monopoly over the product and get higher monopoly profits from its sales,” a news release from Herring’s office states.

Since 2009, annual sales of Suboxone topped $1 billion, the release continues, and the attorneys general allege that consumers have paid “artificially high” prices for the drug.

Indivior did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Suboxone contains buprenorphine and the overdose reversal drug naloxone. It is used to treat opioid addiction by easing addiction cravings. But in some parts of the state, buprenorphine is becoming the new top street drug. In Southwest Virginia, it is prescribed at more than eight times the national average.