TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Kate Prince on Nov 25, 2020

Purdue Pharma yesterday pleaded guilty to three criminal charges in federal court, formally acknowledging the role it has played in the opioid epidemic, the Associated Press reports. Purdue, which makes OxyContin, took responsibility for impeding the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s efforts to combat the addiction crisis, admitting it lied to the DEA about having an effective program to prevent prescription drugs from being diverted to the black market. Purdue also admitted to paying doctors through a speakers program to induce them to write more painkiller prescriptions. The guilty pleas were part of a criminal and civil settlement announced last month between Purdue and the Justice Department. The deal includes $8.3 billion in penalties and forfeitures, but the company will only pay the federal government $225 million as long as it executes a settlement moving through federal bankruptcy court with state and local governments and other entities suing it over the toll of the opioid epidemic.