Sackler Family To Pay $6 Billion For Role In US Opioid Epidemic

The Sackler family, the founders and owners of pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma LP, have reached an agreement with a group of attorneys general to pay up to $6 billion in cash to resolve widespread litigation claiming they fueled the US opioid crisis. 

Attorneys general for eight US states and the District of Columbia, who blocked a previous settlement involving a $4.3 billion cash payment, announced the deal following several weeks of mediation with the Sackler family.

The Sacklers agreed to pay a minimum of $5.5 billion in cash to be used to help ease the US opioid crisis. According to HHS.gov figures from 2019, an estimated 10.1 million people aged 12 or older misused opioids in the past year, with an estimated 9.7 million people misusing prescription pain relievers. 

In a statement, the Sackler family said that they “sincerely regret” that OxyContin — an opioid painkiller produced by Purdue Pharma — had “unexpectedly became part of an opioid crisis.”

The Sacklers said that, while they acted lawfully, a settlement was the best way to help resolve the US’ public health crisis.