Hawaii joined 19 other states in a federal lawsuit against six drugmakers that allegedly conspired to inflate prices and reduce competition for two generic drugs.

The complaint filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut claims that executives of Heritage Pharmaceuticals Inc., Aurobindo Pharma USA Inc., Citron Pharma LLC, Mayne Pharma (USA) Inc., Mylan Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. “manipulated prices” for doxycycline hyclate, an antibiotic, and glyburide, which is used to treat diabetes.

“Hawaii citizens depend upon generic drugs and expect them to be cheaper than name brands,” state Attorney General Doug Chin said in a news release. “This multistate lawsuit alleges a conspiracy among generic drug companies at the senior executive level to manipulate prices for profit. This type of corporate greed must stop.”

The executives met at trade shows and other events to “fix and maintain prices, allocate markets and otherwise thwart competition,” resulting in harmful effects to the health care system, according to the complaint, which is asking the court for financial relief and to stop the companies from anti-competitive behavior.

The other states involved in the suit are Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.

U.S. consumers spent an estimated $74.5 billion last year on generic drugs, which accounts for roughly 88 percent of all prescriptions written, the Attorney General’s Office said.

Rain and high surf in store for islands

A low-pressure system north of Kauai will gradually move toward the southwest over the next couple days, bringing passing showers and a slight chance of thunderstorms, the National Weather Service said.

The weather service has issued a high-surf advisory for Oahu, Molokai, Maui, Niihau and Kauai, which is in effect until at least 6 a.m. today. The agency also issued a small-craft advisory for Hawaiian waters until 6 a.m., but those advisories could be extended.

A high-wind warning and winter weather advisory for Hawaii island’s summits applies until 6 p.m., with winds of 45 to 60 mph and gusts of 80 mph.

A low-pressure system will weaken and move away on Monday. High pressure will gradually build from the east Monday with a trade wind pattern setting up for the remainder of next week.

HAWAII ISLAND

Native crows released into wild

Five young Hawaiian crows or alala raised in captivity were released into the wild on Hawaii island last week.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources said the critically endangered birds were released Wednesday at the Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve. The male birds took a few minutes to emerge from the aviary where they had been temporarily housed, and they appeared to show a natural curiosity for their surroundings, the department said.

After being released, the alala “quickly adjusted to their new home, and began to search for and find food items in the forest,” said Bryce Masuda, conservation program manager of the Hawai‘i Endangered Bird Conservation Program, in a statement. “Although the birds have now been released, we will continue to monitor them and provide appropriate supplemental food, to ensure they are supported as they encounter challenges.”

The birds were moved to a flight aviary in mid-October, to allow them to adjust to the sights and sounds of the Hawaiian forest. They were then transferred to a smaller aviary in the forest one week before the release.

Pu‘u Maka‘ala Natural Area Reserve is an area that conservationists have worked to preserve, protecting native plants and species, and it represents the type of habitat where the crows originally lived before their numbers began to decline.

The alala has been extinct in the wild since 2002, preserved only at the Keauhou and Maui bird conservation centers managed by San Diego Zoo Global. With more than 100 individuals of the species now preserved at the centers, conservationists are ready to return the birds to their native forests.

Alala are an important part of the life of the Hawaiian forest, as they eat and help disperse native plant seeds. The reintroduction of this species is expected to play an important part in the overall recovery of the ecosystem.