What's next, now that OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma has agreed to a $270M settlement?

In a word, last week was big: The maker of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma, agreed to a $270 million settlement with the state of Oklahoma.

Under the settlement terms, the company and the family that owns the business, the Sacklers, had to pledge $197.5 million for a national center for opioid addiction and research.

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Purdue Pharma was, in a nutshell, accused of fueling the nation's opioid epidemic.

Days later, the New York attorney general's office announced a comprehensive amended lawsuit against six opioid manufacturers, the Sackler family, and four opioid distributors. The suit alleges that those six manufacturers, including Purdue Pharma, engaged in false and deceptive marketing practices -- and that  opioid distributors failed to prevent their drugs from getting into the wrong hands.

More than 130 people in the U.S. die as a result of opioid-related overdoses each day, according to the complaint. More than 2 million Americans were dependent on, or abused, prescription painkillers in 2014, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"It is a new day in Oklahoma, and for the nation, in our battle against addiction and the opioid epidemic," Attorney General Mike Hunter said last week.

As for what exactly comes next, only time will tell. Read about the following two stories in full, for complete coverage: New York AG files lawsuit against opioid manufacturers, Sackler family | Purdue Pharma to pay over $200M to settle historic opioid lawsuit

And visit our website for more local and national reports.


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