Oxycontin is a popular painkiller containing the opioid oxycodone. Its producer, Purdue Pharma, has received backlash for their morally dubious sales practices, such as overprescription. It is widely believed that the introduction of Oxycontin to the market is what began the national opioid epidemic. Members of the Sackler family, who own Purdue Pharma, have faced lawsuits for the past year related to their aggressive dispensing of highly addictive Oxycontin.
Recently, the Sacklers have decided to pay $4.275 billion dollars and forfeit control of Purdue Pharma to settle these lawsuits, which will grant immunity to Sackler family members, financial trusts, companies, consultants, and more. The loss of billions of dollars and a company may seem like a substantial injury to the Sackler family, but they are one of the richest families in America, and will retain control over several other companies.
Purdue Pharma may not be as lucky, as they have already pleaded guilty twice to federal crimes involving their marketing schemes. In addition, a bankruptcy plan for Purdue Pharma is nearing the final vote, as a few dissenting states remain to be convinced. Part of the plan involves distribution of hundreds of millions of dollars to communities who have been negatively impacted by opioids. This plan shows that the United States has a vested interest in remedying the national opioid epidemic.
In my home city of West Lafayette, IN, the city council voted to opt out of a statewide settlement against Purdue Pharma. They have decided to maintain their original 2018 lawsuit to avoid the large decrease in alotted damages that would occur if they chose to combine. However, the city’s primary concern is not the loss of financial return, but the importance of the societal effort in principle.
Sources:
https://www.wboi.org/post/sackler-family-empire-poised-win-immunity-opioid-lawsuits#stream/0
https://www.purdueexponent.org/campus/article_2852cef4-c7e9-11eb-9900-b31146f3ef7a.html
Brice Rider 