The opioid crisis in the USA has so far claimed hundreds of thousands of victims. Members of the Sackler family are now expected to pay billions of dollars to settle lawsuits. They have to separate from their pharmaceutical company.
The US pharmaceutical company Purdue and its owner Sackler family have agreed with 15 US states to pay a total of 7.4 billion dollars (around 7.1 billion euros) for their role in the devastating opioid crisis in the United States.
The members of the Sackler family agreed to pay up to 6.5 billion dollars, and the pharmaceutical company itself is to provide 900 million, as New York Attorney General Letitia James announced. The Sackler family “tried to make profits at the expense of vulnerable patients” and played a central role in the start and spread of the opioid crisis, James said. The agreement still needs to be approved by the court.
A previous settlement, more than $1 billion less than the current one, was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court last year, arguing that the agreement protected wealthy members of the Sacklers from civil lawsuits even though the family members were not exempt from it Bankruptcy affected.
One of the largest agreements of its kind
Under the new agreement, members will only be protected from lawsuits by parties who have agreed to the agreement. The agreement is one of the largest of its kind in lawsuits brought by local and state governments, indigenous tribes and other parties seeking to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable over the deadly painkiller epidemic.
Purdue Pharma produces the painkiller OxyContin, the mass prescription of which is believed to have sparked the opioid crisis, in which hundreds of thousands of people have died due to the misuse of painkillers since 1999. Members of the Sackler family were subsequently met with hostility. Because of their roles at Purdue Pharma, their names have been removed from art galleries and universities worldwide. You yourself deny any wrongdoing.
Victims and defendants praise verdict
“We are extremely happy that a new agreement has been reached,” said Purdue Pharma, based in Connecticut, USA. The agreement was praised by a Michigan woman who said she became addicted to painkillers after being prescribed OxyContin following a back injury 23 years ago. “Everything in my life is shaped by a company that has put profits over people's lives,” said Kara T.
In addition to New York's Attorney General James, the attorneys general of 14 other US states also contributed to the agreement. According to the agreement, members of the Sackler family will provide up to $6.5 billion over a 15-year period. They should also give up their ownership of Purdue. Its board will be appointed by states and others who have sued Purdue.
