How Much Will the Purdue Pharma Settlement Be?
The opioid epidemic has become a serious public health problem since the mid-1990s. This started with the release of a popular pain medication. The Sackler family and Purdue Pharma developed the drug OxyContin for pain management. OxyContin is one of the primary strong prescription painkillers used to treat severe and chronic pain symptoms.
Plaintiffs recently filed a lawsuit against the owners of Purdue Pharma. The lawsuit addresses the rise in opioid addiction, overdose, and death. This lawsuit points fingers at its influence and involvement in the public health crisis. Growing evidence shows Purdue Pharma and OxyContin played a major role in the U.S. opioid addiction crisis.
In the $7.4 billion settlement, the Sackler family agreed to pay $225 million to the Department of Justice. They will also contribute $1 billion to opioid crisis programs and $6 billion from their personal holdings. The Purdue Pharma settlement is one of the largest legal agreements in history to address the opioid crisis.
Purdue Pharma Settlement Terms
Under this settlement, members of the Sackler family would give up ownership of the Purdue headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. The company will pivot to a new direction under the name Knoa. Knoa will send its profits to help fund, prevent, and treat various aspects of substance addiction.
Opioid addiction, overdose, and death have affected so many across the nation. The Purdue Pharma settlement is expected to provide financial compensation to victims of the opioid crisis. The amount each person receives will vary based on their individual circumstances.
The family has $6 billion in personal assets. They will give about $750 million from this to help victims, survivors, and families affected by the opioid crisis.
Under these settlement terms, the Sackler family received immunity from opioid-related lawsuits. This happened even though the company admitted wrongdoing in separate plea agreements with the U.S. Department of Justice. The Purdue Pharma settlement’s intention is to hold the Sackler family accountable to the public.
The Sackler Family and Purdue Pharma
The company Purdue Pharma is one of the nation’s most popular and leading manufacturers of opioid medications. Three brothers purchased it from the Sackler family. These physicians helped develop OxyContin, a powerful opioid prescription medication that became a key player in the opioid crisis. The company and OxyContin were the leading suppliers of prescription opioids to physicians and their patients.
The members of the Sackler family have continued to deny that they had a role in the opioid epidemic. They publicly stated they regret that OxyContin had become such a focal point in the opioid crisis.
Critics have accused the family of aggressively marketing the drugs. They claim Sackler paid other physicians to exaggerate the benefits and safety of OxyContin. The company allegedly told Pharma reps to claim the drug wasn’t addictive because of its “slow-release properties.”
In the recent lawsuits and settlements, some states are demanding even more money from the drug manufacturing family. States such as California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, Oregon, Vermont and Washington have some of the highest recorded opioid overdose death rates in the nation. Some state governments have already won about $50 billion from lawsuits similar to the Purdue Pharma settlement.
As part of the Purdue Pharma settlement, the company has agreed to pay billions of dollars to support addiction treatment programs. This includes treatment options, overdose medications and other advocacy programs surrounding opioid addiction and overdose. Many individuals affected by opioid addiction are hopeful that the Purdue Pharma settlement will provide much-needed relief.
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History of the U.S. Opioid Epidemic
The U.S. opioid epidemic has been labeled one of the biggest public health crises in history. The CDC estimates that 75% of the over 90,000 drug overdose deaths in 2020 involved opioids.
From 2019 to 2020, opioid-involved deaths increased by 38%. In that same year, prescription opioid-involved deaths increased by 17%. Synthetic opioid-involved deaths increased by a whopping 56%.
The U.S. opioid crisis began back in the mid 90’s and continued in three waves.
- 1st wave (1999): OxyContin was introduced and FDA-approved, leading to a surge in prescription opioid overdose deaths.
- 2nd wave (2010): Heroin overdoses increased as people addicted to prescription opioid drugs turned to heroin.
- 3rd wave (2013–present): Synthetic opioid overdose deaths, particularly from fentanyl, rose because of its potency and low cost.
Ways to Address the Opioid Crisis
The Centers for Disease Control and other advocacy groups are now focusing on helping those suffering. They are working to identify, prevent, and treat aspects of the growing opioid crisis. This includes addiction and overdose deaths. Below are a few measures being taken to address the public health crisis.
- Closely monitoring trends to better understand and respond to the epidemic
- Advancing research on opioid-related overdose and deaths. Collecting and analyzing data will help evaluate practical prevention efforts.
- Equipping state, local, and tribal agencies with tools and resources to improve evidence-based treatment strategies.
- Supporting healthcare providers, the healthcare system and other first responders to the opioid crisis.
- Partnering with public safety officials and community organizations to increase public awareness and understanding of the problem.
- Improving overdose reports to better track deaths from multiple substances.
- Enhancing equality, access, and cost-effectiveness in opioid use disorder treatment and risk prevention efforts.
- Improving prescription drug monitoring programs.
- Integrating behavioral care into mainstream healthcare and provide sustaining treatments.
- Providing addiction education and training to all health and medical professionals.
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Treatment
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References:
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/03/1084163626/purdue-sacklers-oxycontin-settlement
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9339402/
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/what-led-to-the-opioid-crisis-and-how-to-fix-it/