ST. PAUL — Minnesota is joining dozens of other states in suing generic drug manufacturers over prices.

According to a press release, the lawsuit alleges that nearly two dozen drug companies reached tacit agreements to divide up the drug market and push prices higher to increase revenue. Generic drugs are copies of name-brand medications that are often prescribed as lower-cost alternatives.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said high prescription drug prices are one of the chief complaints his office is getting. University of Minnesota pharmacy professor and drug economist Stephen Schondelmeyer says it’s affecting a lot of Minnesotans.