Jul 19 DEA official resigns amid reports of previous Big Pharma consulting work By Joshua Goodman, Jim Mustian, Associated Press Louis Milione’s four years of consulting for Big Pharma preceded his 2021 return to the DEA to serve as Administrator Anne Milgram’s top deputy, renewing concerns in the agency and beyond about the revolving door between government and industry and… Continue reading
May 31 Watch 7:49 Purdue Pharma family protected from lawsuits in exchange for addiction treatment funding By William Brangham, Dorothy Hastings A court ruled the owners of Purdue Pharma, the Sackler family, will be protected from civil lawsuits linked to the opioid crisis in exchange for a $6 billion settlement. Purdue, which filed for bankruptcy in 2019 amid thousands of lawsuits,… Continue watching
May 30 Ruling clears way for Purdue Pharma to settle opioid claims, protect owners from lawsuits By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York reversed a 2021 ruling that found bankruptcy court judges did not have the authority to shield from civil lawsuits members of the Sackler family who own Purdue and who have… Continue reading
Apr 29 Appeals court to consider paving way for Purdue Pharma deal out of bankruptcy By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press The deal would allow the company to exit bankruptcy and require members of the Sackler family who own it to contribute billions of dollars to help combat the opioid crisis in the U.S. Continue reading
Mar 10 After years of pain, opioid crisis victims confront Sackler family in court By Geoff Mulvihill, Jennifer Peltz, Associated Press Victims of opioids and those who have lost loved ones to the addiction crisis are unloading their emotions on members of the family they blame for fueling the deadly epidemic. Continue reading
Mar 03 Purdue Pharma, U.S. states agree to new settlement for opioid crisis By Geoff Mulvihill, John Seewer, Associated Press The deal reached Thursday would require members of the Sackler family who own the drugmaker to pay as much as $6 billion in cash. That's at least $1 billion more than previously agreed on. Continue reading
Dec 24 Watch 5:53 Why a judge rejected a settlement with the Sackler family for their role in opioid crisis By William Brangham, Courtney Norris Experts link a record number of overdoses this year from black market opioids back to the original marketing and distribution of legal opioids made by Purdue Pharma, the company owned by the Sackler family that made OxyContin. Last week, a… Continue watching
Sep 02 Deal with OxyContin maker leaves families angry, conflicted By John Seewer, Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press A landmark settlement in the nation's opioid epidemic is forcing the owners of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma to give up the company and pay out $4.5 billion. But many families of those who died from overdoses say it's not enough. Continue reading
Sep 01 Judge conditionally approves Purdue Pharma opioid settlement By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press The agreement accepted Wednesday caps a long-running legal drama involving a company that had come to symbolize the corporate culpability behind an epidemic that has claimed more than 500,000 lives over the past two decades. Continue reading
Dec 17 WATCH: Sackler family members who own Purdue testify before Congress By Geoff Mulvihill, Associated Press Two of the owners of the company that makes OxyContin acknowledged to a congressional committee on Thursday that the powerful prescription painkiller has played a role in the national opioid crisis but stopped short of apologizing or admitting wrongdoing. Continue reading