Revised Purdue Pharma deal could total $10 billion

Oxycontin maker hopes to finally end flood of lawsuits.

Oxycontin maker Purdue Pharma reached a nationwide settlement Thursday over its role in the opioid crisis, with the Sackler family members who own the company boosting their cash contribution to as much as $6 billion.

The deal follows an earlier settlement that had been appealed by eight states and the District of Columbia. They agreed to sign on after the Sacklers kicked in more cash and accepted other terms. In exchange, the family would be protected from civil lawsuits.

In all, the plan could be worth more than $10 billion over time. It calls for members of the Sackler family to give up control of the Stamford, Connecticut-based company so it can be turned into a new entity with profits used to fight the crisis. The deal would not shield members of the family from criminal charges, although there’s no indication any are forthcoming.

Sackler family members have not unequivocally offered an apology but issued a statement of regret about the toll of Oxycontin, its signature painkiller that users learned could be manipulated to produce quick highs. Purdue Pharma had promoted its use for a broad range of pain issues for which doctors previously had shied away from prescribing opioids.

“While the families have acted lawfully in all respects, they sincerely regret that Oxycontin, a prescription medicine that continues to help people suffering from chronic pain, unexpectedly became part of an opioid crisis that has brought grief and loss to far too many families and communities,” said the statement from the Sackler family.

Under the settlement, victims also are to have a forum, by videoconference, in court to address some of the Sacklers. That’s something they have not been able to do previously in a public setting.

The settlement is outlined in a report filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in White Plains, New York, and must be approved by the judge.

It was hammered out with attorneys general from the eight states and D.C. who had opposed the earlier one, arguing that it did not properly hold Sackler family members accountable.

For Suzanne Domagala, of Millville, Delaware, even a modest payout to victims from the Sackler family is important, though she is still upset that the family is getting protection from lawsuits.

Domagala’s son Zach, a Marine Corps reservist, became addicted after injuring his shoulder during boot camp. When he died in 2017, she said, she didn’t have the money to bury him, and it took a few years before she could afford a headstone.

“That’s why when you’re looking at the costs of these things, money is such a trivial thing,” she said, “but it’s the only way to exact any justice.”

Ed Bisch, whose 18-yearold son died of an overdose 20 years ago, is glad states pushed Sackler family members to pay more. Still, he called the settlement “a horrible deal” because so many parents who buried loved ones won’t see money — and the Sacklers will still be wealthy and free.

“Guess what? They still made billions and billions of dollars,” said Bisch, of Westampton, New Jersey. “Without any jail time, where is the deterrent? We’ve lost two generations to their greed.”