Mayor D.J. Beauregard today announced two major steps the City of Methuen is taking to protect residents from unfair and deceptive business practices. Methuen has officially joined a national multi-district lawsuit challenging unlawful price-gouging by insulin manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers and is one of 14 cities across Massachusetts calling for a statewide ban on predatory third-party electric suppliers.
“These actions reflect our city’s deep commitment to standing up for working families,” said Mayor Beauregard. “Whether it's out-of-control drug pricing or deceptive electricity contracts, Methuen residents deserve transparency, fairness, and protection from corporate exploitation.”
Fighting Insulin Price Gouging
Methuen is now participating in “In re: Insulin Pricing Litigation, MDL No. 3080,” a national lawsuit seeking damages from pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) accused of artificially inflating insulin prices. The litigation targets an alleged pricing scheme that caused insulin costs to skyrocket as much as 1,500% over two decades – despite minimal innovation or increased production costs.
The City joins other municipalities and public entities pursuing reimbursement for overpayments on insulin products made through self-funded health insurance plans. Methuen is represented by a coalition of national law firms with extensive experience in high-impact consumer litigation.
“The cost of insulin has become a crisis not only for families but for municipalities that provide health coverage,” said Mayor Beauregard. “This lawsuit is about holding corporations accountable and recovering funds that should never have been spent in the first place.”
Pushing Back Against Predatory Electric Suppliers
Mayor Beauregard also joined 13 other mayors and city managers from across the Commonwealth in endorsing the Campaign to Stop Predatory Electric Suppliers, a growing statewide coalition backed by more than 50 consumer advocacy organizations. The campaign supports legislation (H.3534/S.2255) that would bar third-party electricity companies from targeting residential customers with misleading marketing and overpriced contracts.
Methuen currently operates a municipal aggregation program, which allows residents to benefit from stable, competitively priced electricity through a city-led purchasing agreement.
“Our municipal aggregation program helps Methuen residents save money and avoid price spikes,” said Mayor Beauregard. “But too many of our neighbors are still being misled by third-party suppliers into confusing, overpriced contracts. The most straightforward way to protect consumers is to end this broken market.”
The campaign’s participating local leaders include:
- Mayor Kassandra Gove, Amesbury
- Mayor Michelle Wu, Boston
- City Manager Yi-An Huang, Cambridge
- City Manager Fidel Maltez, Chelsea
- Mayor Samantha Squailia, Fitchburg
- Mayor Michael Nicholson, Gardner
- Mayor Melinda Barrett, Haverhill
- Mayor Jared Nicholson, Lynn
- Mayor Gary Christenson, Malden
- Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, Medford
- Mayor Jennifer Grigoraitis, Melrose
- Mayor D.J. Beauregard, Methuen
- Mayor Dominick Pangallo, Salem
- Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, Somerville
Together, these efforts underscore Methuen’s role in broader regional and national movements to protect consumers from predatory pricing practices, hold bad actors accountable, and ensure residents are treated fairly in essential markets like health care and energy.