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Purdue Pharma, along with the Sackler family who owns the embattled drug company, have reportedly agreed to pay $4.5 billion to fifteen states in an opioid settlement reached Wednesday.
The states that agreed to the opioid epidemic settlement with Purdue include Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin. These states, along with 10 others who have not yet reached an agreement, did not join an earlier settlement with 24 states prior to a bankruptcy announcement made by Purdue and the Sackler family in 2019.
The $4.5 billion settlement comes after hundreds of calls and meetings between the states and representatives for Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, say court documents.
Three states who signed on the latest agreement, Massachusetts, New York and Minnesota, announced Thursday that they will use their share of the $4.5 billion settlement to fund opioid treatment and abatement programs. They also pledged to expose Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family’s role in fueling the opioid epidemic.
“This deal gets one of the nation’s most harmful drug dealers out of the opioid business,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James, according to Law360.
“They cannot get away with this so they can do it all over again,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison reportedly said of the deal.
Purdue has also agreed to release tens of millions of new documents to shed further light on the opioid epidemic that has raged across the nation for decades. The Sackler family has also reportedly given up naming rights connected to their charitable contributions, as well as authority over their $175 million family charitable trust fund under the terms of the deal. The family will also pay an additional $50 million.
Purdue and the Sackler family were besieged by claims that their blockbuster opioid drug, OxyContin, fueled a nationwide drug epidemic.
In 2017, the State of Oklahoma went after Purdue and a number of other pharmacy companies alleging they “executed massive and unprecedented marketing campaigns” that misrepresented the risks of opioid-based drugs, netting a $270 million settlement in 2019.
Additionally, Purdue paid an undisclosed amount to resolve the claims in nearly 3,000 individual lawsuits alleging that their OxyContin and other opioid products were irresponsibly produced.
The $4.5 billion opioid epidemic settlement agreement comes as Purdue will submit its Chapter 11 plan to bankruptcy court in August.
“This resolution to the mediation is an important step toward providing substantial resources for people and communities in need. The Sackler family hopes these funds will help achieve that goal,” a representative for the Sackler family said in an email to Law360.
For its part, representatives for Purdue Pharma asserted that the settlement builds on previous agreements.
“We will continue to work to build even greater consensus for our plan of reorganization, which would transfer billions of dollars of value into trusts for the benefit of the American people and direct critically-needed medicines and resources to communities and individuals nationwide who have been affected by the opioid crisis,” said Perdue Pharma reportedly stated in a Law360 email.
Were you affected by the opioid epidemic? What do you think of the $4.5 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma? Tell us in the comment section below.
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203 thoughts onOxyContin-Maker Purdue Inks $4.5B Opioid Epidemic Settlement With 15 States
My husband was on OxyContin for almost 10 years ultimately became addicted to this horrible drug. Then seeked out a pain management doctor who only exasperated the addiction with Fentanyl patches, etc…he became obsessed with these meds and unfortunately was killed in a car accident recently. ADD ME please.
I was in a car accident and broke my back over 30 years ago. I was put on hydrocodone 5mg. When OxyContin came out I was told this would be much better for me because there was no Tylenol in it to destroy the liver because unlike Vicodin I would only need to take one or a day. I was told that if I took it as prescribed I would not become addicted. Unfortunately they lied to me. I never wanted to admit it but I became addicted. It consumed my thoughts and actions because I never wanted to be without and deal with get sick, cranky and miserable. I spent sooooo much money on this.
My children were unwilling I gotta victims because their mother wasn’t truly there. I was only “ok” if I had my meds, when I didn’t I would be sick. I was always broke or near broke because if I didn’t have a doctor, I was buying them off the streets.for over 5 years I perched my script with cash. I still have the receipts an the money I spent only to help destroy my life hurts me to the core.
I think it’s so very nice that the states want to take money, pocket it and help the ones who TRULY were harmed FINANCIALLY, MEDICALLY, MENTALLY, ETC by sending them to rehab!!! REALLY.? How does that work, how is It even legally that an entity that suffered no pain and suffering can pocket money from a lawsuit, but the ones who suffered get no compensation what so ever? I would truly like to know, in that case why don’t we sue for others and pocket the money.?
Is there any compensation for the money I lost, taken from my kids in which I have hundreds of copies of prescriptions paid for from pharmacy. I can actually prove at the least, half the money lost. As well as everything else I wrote about.
Thanks for your time
I agree!! The state leaders are gonna do what they do best and line their pockets!! I’m so pissed over this!! Had I known I would not get compensated only the states, I would have never been part of this lawsuit. Without the victims there would be no settlement!! I agree this should be illegal!!😡😡
I think those that really should be compensated is us victims. I’ve been on Oxycodone, OxyContin and Fentanyl patches at 1 time, started in 2009, now I’m down to Oxycodone 305x day, these states did not lose families, jobs or their loved ones ! These states want to be compensated on our addiction which is not fair. We should account for at least 40% of whatever monetary value this lawsuit will pay out I filed claim as creditors and voted for plan . WHEN WILL WE BE REMEMBERED
Yes, I have been affected please add me. Thank you
I was hooked on ms contin, I took it for 10 years. I didn’t know I was addicted until I stopped taking it suddenly and I started going through withdrawals. I didn’t know what was going on so I called an ambulance. They told me what I was going through. I still have some of my pills including oxodone. I hope I can join this lawsuit.
My sister needs to be added.
i was prescribed tremendous amounts of this drug and when i told the dr it was not lasting the 12 hours they doubled my dose and doubled my dose please help me