Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe Now
Indianapolis-based Elanco Animal Health Inc. has reached an agreement in a class-action lawsuit that accuses the company of paying several major pet retailers not to stock certain generic versions of its Advantix flea and tick products.
The $9.275 million settlement comes nearly two years after a complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana accusing Elanco of monopolizing the market in violation of the federal Sherman Act and state antitrust lawsuits.
Attorneys for the plaintiffs and Elanco did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In July 2024, consumer and plaintiff Tracy Spradlin filed a class-action lawsuit accusing Elanco of fixing the retail price of its Advantix II and Advantage II topical flea and tick prevention products by pressuring several pet retailers, including Chewy Inc., Petco and PetSmart, to exclusively sell Advantix, shutting out the sale of other generic topicals in violation of state and federal antitrust statutes.
Spradlin argued that because of Elanco’s anticompetitive conduct, consumers were forced to pay higher prices for the flea and tick products than they would absent of Elanco’s conduct, according to her original complaint.
The district court dismissed her Sherman Act claims in October 2025, arguing that “indirect purchasers” who buy products from middlemen, like the pet retailers, cannot seek damages under the act. When Spradlin sought to proceed with the federal claims through an exception of the act that applies when a monopolist conspires with distributors to fix prices, the court further ruled that Spradlin did not successfully prove that the pet retailers were part of a “hub-and-spokes conspiracy” to shut out generic flea and tick products.
The court did, however, allow Spradlin’s state law claims to proceed.
In parallel to Spradlin’s claims, consumer and plaintiff Susan Kraus-Silfen filed a lawsuit against Elanco and five pet retailers in January 2025, raising the same federal violations.
In January 2026, the court held that plaintiffs could file an amended consolidated complaint to formally join the two lawsuits.
One by one, plaintiff Kraus-Silfen began reaching settlements with defendants in the case, beginning with Chewy Inc., followed by Tractor Supply Co./Petsense, PetMed Express Inc. and Elanco on separate dates in February.
The plaintiffs were finalizing their consolidation when they reached a settlement with the remaining defendants in March.
As part of the settlement agreement, Elanco cannot offer its exclusive discount on Advantix for five years. The defendants will also pay the total of $9.275 million to create a settlement fund that will be distributed to class members who filed claims. Each of the defendants must pay the following to the fund:
- Elanco: $6.75 million
- Petco: $700,000
- PetSmart: $700,000
- Chewy: $600,000
- Tractor Supply/Petsense: $250,000
- PetMeds: $275,000
The cases are Tracy Spradlin, individually and on behalf of all others similarly situated v. Elanco Animal Health, Inc., 1:24-CV-1299-JPH-MJD and Susan Kraus-Silfen, on behalf of herself and all others similarly situated v. Elanco Animal Health, Inc.; Chewy, Inc.; Petco Health and Wellness Company, Inc.; PetMed Express, Inc.; Tractor Supply Company, and PetSmart, Inc., 1:25-CV-00168-JPH-MJD.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.