BREAKING NEWS
Purdue Pharma and owners to pay $7.4 billion in settlement of lawsuits over the toll of OxyContin
Read full article: Purdue Pharma and owners to pay $7.4 billion in settlement of lawsuits over the toll of OxyContinMembers of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, and the company itself, agreed to pay up to $7.4 billion to settle lawsuits over the toll of the powerful prescription painkiller.
McKinsey & Company agrees to pay $650M for helping Purdue Pharma boost opioid sales
Read full article: McKinsey & Company agrees to pay $650M for helping Purdue Pharma boost opioid salesMcKinsey & Company consulting firm has agreed to pay $650 million to settle a federal investigation into its work for opioids manufacturer Purdue Pharma, according to court papers filed in Virginia.
Harvard rebuffs protests and won't remove Sackler name from two buildings
Read full article: Harvard rebuffs protests and won't remove Sackler name from two buildingsHarvard University has decided against removing from campus buildings the name of a family whose company makes the powerful painkiller OxyContin, despite protest from parents whose children fatally overdosed.
The legal odyssey for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and its owners is complex. Here's what to know
Read full article: The legal odyssey for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and its owners is complex. Here's what to knowThe Supreme Court has rejected a settlement for OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family who own the company.
OxyContin marketer agrees to pay $350M rather than face lawsuits
Read full article: OxyContin marketer agrees to pay $350M rather than face lawsuitsA company that helped develop marketing campaigns for OxyContin and other opioids has agreed to a $350 million settlement with U.S. states over the toll of the powerful prescription painkillers.
Consulting firm McKinsey agrees to $78 million settlement with insurers over opioids
Read full article: Consulting firm McKinsey agrees to $78 million settlement with insurers over opioidsConsulting firm McKinsey and Co. has agreed to pay $78 million to settle claims from insurers and health care funds that its marketing work with Purdue Pharma helped fuel an opioid addiction crisis.
The Supreme Court wrestles with OxyContin maker's bankruptcy deal, with billions of dollars at stake
Read full article: The Supreme Court wrestles with OxyContin maker's bankruptcy deal, with billions of dollars at stakeThe Supreme Court is wrestling with a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would shield members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids.
OxyContin maker’s settlement plan divides victims of opioid crisis. Now it’s up to the Supreme Court
Read full article: OxyContin maker’s settlement plan divides victims of opioid crisis. Now it’s up to the Supreme CourtThe legality of an agreement by the maker of OxyContin to settle thousands of lawsuits over the harm done by opioids is going before the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court blocks, for now, OxyContin maker bankruptcy deal that would shield Sacklers
Read full article: Supreme Court blocks, for now, OxyContin maker bankruptcy deal that would shield SacklersThe Supreme Court has temporarily blocked a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would shield members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids.
Feds seek to limit telehealth prescriptions for some drugs
Read full article: Feds seek to limit telehealth prescriptions for some drugsThe Biden administration is moving to require patients see a doctor in person before getting drugs to treat attention deficit disorders or addictive painkillers, toughening access amid a deepening opioid crisis.
Facing Purdue owners brings pain, closure for opioid victims
Read full article: Facing Purdue owners brings pain, closure for opioid victimsA sense of closure is mixing with anger and pain for some of the nearly two dozen people who told their personal stories to members of the family that owns OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma.
What opioid victims told Sacklers when they got the chance
Read full article: What opioid victims told Sacklers when they got the chanceA hearing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court has given survivors of opioid addiction and people who lost loved ones to the crisis the chance to confront members of the family behind OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma.
'Scum of the earth': Drug victims face Purdue Pharma owners
Read full article: 'Scum of the earth': Drug victims face Purdue Pharma ownersAddiction and overdose survivors and those who have lost loved ones have unleashed their emotions on members of the family they blame for fueling the opioid epidemic.
Judge favors boosting Sackler payment in Purdue Pharma deal
Read full article: Judge favors boosting Sackler payment in Purdue Pharma dealA judge has indicated he is moving forward with a plan for the owners of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to pump at least another $1.2 billion into a nationwide settlement of lawsuits against over the toll of opioids.
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Use of OxyContin profits to fight opioids formally approved
Read full article: Use of OxyContin profits to fight opioids formally approvedA judge formally approved a plan Friday to turn OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma into a new company no longer owned by members of the Sackler family and with its profits going to fight the opioid epidemic.
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Purdue: Settlement better for states than continuing suits
Read full article: Purdue: Settlement better for states than continuing suitsA Purdue Pharma lawyer says states would get more money from settling with the company than if they were allowed to continue their lawsuits against the OxyContin maker and members of the Sackler family who own it.
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Senators question FDA on work with opioid maker consultant
Read full article: Senators question FDA on work with opioid maker consultantSeveral U.S. senators are questioning the Food and Drug Administration’s work with a consulting firm that helped businesses sell prescription painkillers during the nation’s overdose crisis.
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Purdue Pharma director grilled on proposed opioid settlement
Read full article: Purdue Pharma director grilled on proposed opioid settlementPurdue Pharma's quest to settle thousands of lawsuits over OxyContin's toll has entered its final phase with the grudging acceptance of most of those who have claims against the company.
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Nevada announces $45M settlement with McKinsey over opioids
Read full article: Nevada announces $45M settlement with McKinsey over opioidsThe western state reached the deal after sitting out a multi-state settlement with McKinsey announced in February. The hard bargaining has allowed Nevada to win a settlement that's three and a half times larger than the average settlement with other states. The western state reached the deal after sitting out a multi-state settlement with McKinsey announced in February. The hard bargaining has allowed Nevada to win a settlement that’s three and a half times larger than the average settlement with other states. “Nevada needed and deserved more than what was being made available to us in the multi-state settlement,” state Attorney General Aaron Ford said Monday.
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Advocates, some AGs wary of Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan
Read full article: Advocates, some AGs wary of Purdue Pharma bankruptcy planA group of nearly half the state attorneys general said it was disappointed in the plan Purdue filed late Monday night in federal bankruptcy court and some said they would seek changes. Members of the Sackler family who own Purdue would contribute about $4.3 billion. AdCynthia Munger, of Wayne, Pennsylvania, said Purdue's plan is too focused on providing legal protections for members of the Sackler family. On a Facebook Live video Tuesday, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, a Democrat, said the payment from Sackler family members was too little. AdIn recent letters to a congressional committee, Sackler family members said those who previously served on Purdue's board of directors had combined net assets of $1.1 billion.
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McKinsey agrees to pay nearly $600M over opioid crisis
Read full article: McKinsey agrees to pay nearly $600M over opioid crisisThe global business consulting firm McKinsey & Company has agreed to a $573 million settlement over its role in the opioid crisis, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)The global consulting firm McKinsey & Company agreed to pay nearly $600 million for its role in advising businesses on how to sell more prescription opioid painkillers amid a nationwide overdose crisis. Washington's attorney general announced a separate $13.5 million deal and West Virginia announced a $10 million settlement with the New York-based company. On a video call with journalists Thursday, North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein said that McKinsey worked for Purdue for 15 years. AdIn a statement, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said that McKinsey would pay out more than it made advising companies on opioid sales.
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AP Source: McKinsey to pay $573M for role in opioid crisis
Read full article: AP Source: McKinsey to pay $573M for role in opioid crisisThe global business consulting firm McKinsey & Company has agreed to a $573 million settlement over its role in the opioid crisis, according to a person with knowledge of the deal. Without naming McKinsey, the attorneys general in at least North Carolina and West Virginia have scheduled announcements for Thursday morning regarding the opioid crisis. Purdue agreed to pay $225 million to the U.S. government. Members of the Sackler family who own the company agreed to pay the same amount in a separate settlement announced the same day. The company and family members reached separate agreements with U.S. Justice Department, both announced Oct. 21, 2020.
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Family members who own Purdue to appear before Congress
Read full article: Family members who own Purdue to appear before CongressTwo members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma agreed to appear this week before a congressional committee investigating the family and the company's role in the national opioid addiction and overdose epidemic. The committee scheduled and then canceled a hearing earlier this month after family members would not commit to appearing. Under the deal, family members would also pay at least $3 billion in cash over time. Most Democratic state attorneys general oppose the settlement, saying they want more accountability for Sackler family members. The agreement did not result in criminal claims against Sackler family members, but left open the possibility that some could be brought.
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OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty in criminal case
Read full article: OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty in criminal caseThe guilty pleas were entered by Purdue board chairperson Steve Miller on behalf of the company. They were part of a criminal and civil settlement announced last month between the Stamford, Connecticut-based company and the Justice Department. No criminal charges have been filed against family members, although their deal leaves open the possibility of that in the future. The attorneys general for about half the states opposed the federal settlement, as well as the company’s proposed settlement in bankruptcy court. In the bankruptcy case, Purdue has proposed transforming into a public benefit corporation with its proceeds going to help address the opioid crisis.
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OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to plead to 3 criminal charges
Read full article: OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to plead to 3 criminal chargesThe Justice Department says on Wednesday, Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, will plead guilty to three federal criminal charges as part of a settlement of more than $8 billion. The deal does not release any of the company’s executives or owners — members of the wealthy Sackler family — from criminal liability, and a criminal investigation is ongoing. Family members said they acted “ethically and lawfully,” but some state attorneys general said the agreement fails to hold the Sacklers accountable. No members of the Sackler family remain on that board, though they still own the company. Until recently, the Sackler name was on museum galleries and educational programs around the world because of gifts from family members.
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Experts: Revamped OxyContin hasn't curbed abuse, overdoses
Read full article: Experts: Revamped OxyContin hasn't curbed abuse, overdosesIn a series of non-binding votes, the FDA experts said that the updated OxyContin appeared to cut down abuse via snorting and injecting, compared to the original drug. But panelists overwhelmingly ruled that data from Purdue and other researchers did not show that the reformulation curbed abuse overall or led to fewer overdoses. Panelists said the shortcomings were due, in part, to the challenges of studying overdoses, which often involve multiple drugs. Purdue’s 2010 revamped OxyContin was the first of several opioids developed by drugmakers to help curb abuse. Purdue said in a statement following the meeting it would continue to work with the FDA as it reviewed the OxyContin studies.

Purdue Pharma began cutting opioid sales force last year
Read full article: Purdue Pharma began cutting opioid sales force last yearPurdue Pharma continues to manufacture OxyContin, Joe Rice, co-lead counsel for the plaintiffs in the multi-district ligitation, said. CNN has reached out to representatives at Purdue for additional information regarding the manufacturing of OxyContin. But during the hearing earlier Tuesday, lead corporate and restructuring counsel to Purdue Pharma Marshall Huebner said "all promoting of OxyContin and other opioid medications to prescribers to Purdue ceased no later than 20 months ago, in February 2018." "At that time, Purdue began the process of eliminating its opioid medications sales force," Huebner said. No member of the Sackler family -- the billionaire family that owns the company -- is currently on Purdue Pharma's board or is currently employed by the company, Huebner reiterated Tuesday.

Here's what we know about Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy filing
Read full article: Here's what we know about Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy filingHere is what we know about the bankruptcy filing. What is the effect of the bankruptcy filing? The bankruptcy filing begins the process of settling the multi-district litigation brought by more than 2,000 counties and municipalities and Native American governments. Purdue Pharma reached a preliminary proposed settlement last week, officials from the Plaintiff's Executive Committee (PEC) said. Paul Hanley Jr., co-lead counsel for the multi-district litigation against opioid manufacturers, said the bankruptcy filing was a step in the right direction.

Purdue Pharma files for bankruptcy
Read full article: Purdue Pharma files for bankruptcyCopyright 2019 CNNNEW YORK - Purdue Pharma filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in New York Sunday as part of its framework for settling litigation with multiple states and governments. The Sackler family, which owns the company, had been in talks for weeks to settle cases brought by more than 2,000 states, counties, municipalities and Native American governments against Purdue Pharma and other opioid companies. The proposed settlement has not received unanimous support, with many attorneys general opposing it and vowing to continue fighting the company. Last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that authorities had discovered that the Sackler family had wired about $1 billion between the owners of Purdue Pharma, the entities they control and different financial institutions. Sackler, a former Purdue board member were discovered.