Purdue Pharma and Sackler family reach $7.4 billion Opioid settlement
Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, who once oversaw the company, have agreed to a settlement of up to $7.4 billion (£6 billion) to address allegations surrounding their involvement in fueling the opioid crisis. The deal, an increase of more than $1 billion from a previous settlement rejected in 2024 by the U.S. Supreme Court, includes a $6.5 billion contribution from the Sacklers and $900 million from Purdue.
The settlement addresses widespread allegations that Purdue’s prescription painkiller, OxyContin, fueled the opioid epidemic in the United States. OxyContin, a drug often linked to heroin use, generated billions of dollars in profits for the Sackler family while being blamed for escalating a public health crisis that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.
The settlement aims to provide critical funding for opioid addiction treatment and prevention programs across the country. The New York Attorney General’s office emphasized the importance of the agreement, which will allocate billions toward compensating victims and supporting efforts to combat the opioid crisis.
Purdue Pharma conveyed its approval of the settlement, emphasizing that it would provide essential support for treatment programs and overdose rescue initiatives aimed at saving lives. However, the agreement remains pending court approval, and certain aspects of the deal are yet to be finalized.
If approved, the deal would rank among the largest settlements in a series of lawsuits filed by local, state, and tribal governments seeking accountability for the opioid epidemic. These lawsuits have targeted companies like Purdue for their role in manufacturing, promoting, and distributing addictive opioids.
Connecticut Attorney General William Tong emphasized that the settlement represents progress toward providing closure for victims of the opioid crisis. While acknowledging the significance of the financial compensation, he underscored that no monetary amount could ever fully address the harm and devastation caused by the epidemic.
After years of legal disputes over Purdue’s role in the opioid crisis, a previous $6 billion settlement proposal was rejected due to concerns about granting the Sacklers immunity from future lawsuits. The new $7.4 billion agreement retains immunity as a condition but includes a larger financial commitment, gaining broader support as a step toward addressing the epidemic’s devastating impact.
Court filings show the Sackler family withdrew $11 billion from Purdue Pharma in the decade before its bankruptcy, transferring much of it overseas and making recovery efforts difficult. The family has been widely criticized for prioritizing profits over public welfare, a sentiment echoed by individuals like Kara Trainor. Trainor, who became addicted to OxyContin after a back injury, has been in recovery for 17 years. She described the recent settlement as an important step toward holding the Sacklers accountable for their role in the opioid crisis, which has devastated countless lives across the United States.
Since OxyContin’s introduction in the late 1990s, opioid overdose deaths have surged, with tens of thousands of lives lost annually. Purdue’s aggressive marketing of the drug, despite knowledge of its addictive potential, has been central to the crisis. The settlement offers a chance to address some of the damage caused, but for many, the scars of the epidemic remain.