A massive settlement of $7.4bn from Purdue Pharma – to resolve thousands of opioid lawsuits against the company and its owners, the Sackler family – has been supported by the Attorneys-General of 55 American states and territories.
A framework for the settlement was announced in January by New York Attorney-General Letitia James and other states, and the support announced this week could help the drugmaker win court approval for its bankruptcy reorganisation, reports Reuters.
Monday’s agreements do not include Oklahoma, which in 2019 reached a $270m settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers to resolve opioid-related claims.
In June last year, the US Supreme Court rejected an earlier settlement that would have given the Sacklers broad immunity from opioid-related civil lawsuits. Under that settlement, the family would have paid about $6bn.
More than 850 000 people have died from opioid-related overdoses since 1999, according to the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Purdue Pharma files new bankruptcy plan in opioid case
Purdue boss: Family wants protection from OxyContin litigation
Sacklers would lose Purdue Pharma, $3 billion in opioid settlement