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OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has agreed to plead guilty to criminal charges related to the marketing and distribution of its highly addictive painkillers as part of a settlement worth more than $8 billion, the Justice Department announced Wednesday.
The drug manufacturer is expected to plead guilty in federal court in New Jersey to three felonies, including one count of dual-object conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, and two counts of conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the department said in a press release.
The plea includes an admission by Purdue Pharma that it marketed opioids to more than 100 doctors that it suspected of writing illegal prescriptions and lying about this to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
The criminal resolution includes a $3.54 billion criminal fine as well as a $2 billion in criminal forfeiture, the largest criminal penalties ever to be levied against a pharmaceutical manufacturer. In addition, the company has agreed to pay $2.8 billion in a civil settlement, bringing the total penalties to $8.3 billion.
However, because of Purdue Pharma’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, it is unlikely the company will pay anything close to the $8.3 billion negotiated in the settlement deal, according to The New York Times. The federal government joins many other creditors that typically end up collecting “pennies on the dollar in bankruptcy proceedings,” The Times reported.
Separately, the company’s owners, members of the wealthy Sackler family, have agreed to pay $225 million in civil penalties. The deal does not release any of the company’s executives or owners from criminal liability, Fox Business reported, and a criminal investigation is ongoing.
The civil settlement resolves allegations that Dr. Richard Sackler, David Sackler, Mortimer D.A. Sackler, Dr. Kathe Sackler and Jonathan Sackler — despite knowing the legitimate market for Purdue Pharma’s opioids had contracted — approved a new marketing program in 2013 designed to intensify OxyContin marketing to high-volume prescribers. The marketing push resulted in health care providers prescribing opioids for uses that were “unsafe, ineffective, and medically unnecessary, and that often led to abuse and diversion,” according to prosecutors.
Opioid drugs such as OxyContin, Vicodin, morphine, fentanyl and others are commonly used by medical professionals to manage pain after surgery or injuries. Although these drugs are effective in managing pain, they are also incredibly addictive.
After someone is prescribed opioids by a doctor, they may eventually develop an addiction — leading them to seek irresponsible opioid prescriptions or even turn to street-drug opioids, such as heroin, Top Class Actions has reported.
Purdue Pharma’s role in the widespread distribution of the powerful prescription painkiller OxyContin has contributed to an opioid epidemic that has resulted in nearly 450,000 American deaths between 1999 and 2018, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The opioid epidemic remains a significant public health challenge that impacts the lives of men and women across the country,” Gary L. Cantrell, deputy inspector general for Investigations at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, said in a press release. “Unfortunately, Purdue’s reckless actions and violation of the law senselessly risked patients’ health and well-being. With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to combat the opioid crisis, including holding the pharmaceutical industry and its executives accountable.”
“Purdue deeply regrets and accepts responsibility for the misconduct detailed by the Department of Justice in the agreed statement of facts,” company board chairman Steve Miller said in a statement issued after the announcement of the deal, The New York Times reported.
While the federal settlement does not end all of the extensive litigation against Purdue Pharma, it does represent a major milestone after years of litigation by states, tribes, cities and counties to hold the prominent drug maker accountable, The Times reported.
In related legal news, Canada’s provinces have joined in the massive legal fight against Purdue Pharma over its introduction of OxyContin two decades ago, allegedly leading to the start of the devastating opioid crisis.
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36 thoughts onOxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma to Plead Guilty In Opioid Sales Case
Can I still sign up for this? I have lost and lost over the years due to addiction. In October 2017 My husband lost his battle with addiction. I subsequently lost my home. Everything including my pets. Three years later and I’m still homeless and totally alone. My family doesn’t understand addiction. They still think it’s a choice. I fought really hard to get clean and now I’m on Suboxone. However, after fighting so hard I’m losing all hope that I too will get housing and live a somewhat normal life. I can’t help feeling defeated.
Yes ! Sign up for me. 15 years ago I hook up Vicodin Percocet oxycodone and finally morphine.I went to rehab 1 years 2 months BEST thank Goodness ever! NO more narcotics ever.
Now my stomach liver and intestines Really badly. What are you done!
Where is sign up?
how do I get put on Perdue opioid case I was prescribed for 2 years I fed ex my script straight to manufacturer and Perdue fed ex me my oxytocin 60 mg 90 tablets per month it ruined my life im homeless and in severe pain all the time
How do I get in on the opioid lawsuit? I was put on fentanyl patches for over ten years after my fourth back surgery along with hydromirphon, Vicodin , soma, Valium for most of the ten years I was on fentanyl and my life will never be the same again, I’ve lost my home, my relationship which I had for over twenty years, my career, encountered legal charges which sent me to prison at which time Clay County jail took me thru the most inhumane detox that I feel has led to my brain aneurysm now ..
Add me please
Add me
Add me
To what? The criminal charges?
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