Purdue Opioid Settlement Still Accepting Claims

The opioid settlement Purdue agreed to earlier this year is still accepting claims and providing compensation for OxyContin injuries.

Although many Americans are currently dedicating time and energy to mitigating the consequences of the global coronavirus pandemic, an opioid settlement reached with Purdue is accepting claims for potential monetary compensation.

After the company declared bankruptcy, the opioid settlement Purdue began with a $23.8 million ad campaign in September, in an attempt to inform the public of the available compensation. By providing payments to consumers, Purdue has resolved nearly 3,000 lawsuits alleging that their opioids were irresponsibly distributed.

According to plaintiffs in the opioid class action lawsuits, Purdue downplayed the risks of their opioid products and overstated the benefits. As a result, the medications were allegedly prescribed to patients in an irresponsible manner.

This has reportedly contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths over the past two decades in connection with America’s growing opioid crisis.

A variety of consumers may be eligible for compensation under the opioid settlement Purdue has agreed to fund. Individuals in the settlement include those directly affected or injured by Purdue opioid products before Sept. 29, 2019. Family members of minors or deceased victims are also eligible for compensation.

“A lot of the victims don’t know that they were victimized. They may think that they’re addicts. They may think that they have a moral failing or a character failing,” a lawyer for opioid victims told AP News. “There were people in a boardroom that caused them to become addicted to opioids.”

Companies, governmental units, trusts, and Native American tribes are also eligible to collect compensation from the settlement.

Purdue manufactured a variety of opioid products, including brand names OxyContin, Hysingla ER, Butrans, Dilaudid, Ryzolt, MS Contin, MSIR, Palladone, DHC Plus, OxyIR, and OxyFas. The company also produced a variety of generic medications including the following:

• oxycodone extended-release tablets
• buprenorphine transdermal system
• hydromorphone immediate-release tablets
• hydromorphone oral solution
• tramadol extended-release tablets
• morphine extended-release tablets
• oxycodone immediate-release tablets
• oxycodone and acetaminophen tablets (generic to Percocet)
• hydrocodone and acetaminophen tablets (generic to Vicodin or Norco)

Any injuries or damages resulting from the medications listed above may qualify consumers to recover compensation from the Purdue opioid settlement.

Information about payment amounts is not available. Individual payments will likely vary depending on the injuries sustained as a result of opioid addiction and the documentation available. Claims may need to be validated using medical bills, doctor statements, and other documentation of injuries or damages.

In order to benefit from the opioid settlement Purdue has agreed to, Class Members must file a valid claim form by June 30, 2020. Claim forms can be filed with the settlement online or printed from the settlement website and mailed to the settlement administrator.

The opioid crisis is a serious problem in America, being dubbed an epidemic due to its scope and severity.

People may be prescribed opioids for reasonable issues, but quickly may become addicted to these medications.

This can lead to financial, emotional and even health consequences that follow them for the rest of their lives.

They may even die in connection to their addiction, whether through overdoses or other situations, leaving grieving loved ones behind.

Unfortunately, taking action against the opioid epidemic has been complicated by the global coronavirus pandemic currently plaguing the world. Even worse, a primary care physician recently told Harvard Health that people who are addicted to opioids may be at a higher risk of developing COVID-19.

“Two great epidemics of our generation are intersecting in ways that are additively deadly, and which highlight the urgent ways we must respond to some of the underlying fault lines in our society that are worsening both crises,” Dr. Peter Grinspoon wrote.

Grinspoon, who works in an area of Massachusetts currently experiencing the highest rate of COVID-19 infection, says that the connection boils down to social determinants of health. The CDC notes that these determinants are “conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play [which] affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes.”

In essence, people who are addicted to opioids may be at risk of coronavirus complications due to lifestyle factors causing lung or cardiovascular disease, their homeless or poverty status or the fact that they may be incarcerated in jail due to addiction-related charges.

Although the settlement will not cover addiction related consequences from the COVID-19 outbreak, eligible Class Members may be able to recover other compensation during this time.

Are you eligible for payments under the opioid settlement Purdue? Share your experiences in the comment section below.

The settlement Class Members are represented by the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors.

The Opioid Settlement Purdue is In re: Purdue Pharma LP, et al., Case No. 19-23649, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

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