Purdue Pharma Owners Agree to Pay $7.4 Billion in Opioid Settlements

Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of the prescription painkiller OxyContin, has agreed to a settlement of up to $7.4 billion to end lawsuits related to the drug's role in the opioid epidemic. The amount is an increase of over $1 billion from a previous settlement rejected by the US Supreme Court in 2024. The deal, announced on Thursday, would fund support for opioid addiction treatment and prevention across the US, with the Sackler family, who own the company, contributing to the settlement. This settlement is one of the largest to be reached over the past several years. The Supreme Court had blocked an earlier, $6 billion multistate agreement that would have protected the Sacklers from civil lawsuits.