Purdue Pharma agrees $12bn settlement in opioids case, plaintiffs' lawyers say

Offer by company and Sackler family valued at up to $12bn

Company to fight opponents of deal in bankruptcy proceedings

Attorneys representing some 2,000 US local governments said on Wednesday they have agreed to a tentative settlement with prescription painkiller maker Purdue Pharma over the toll of the US opioids crisis. read more »

Pennsylvania sues Purdue Pharma's Sackler family

Lawsuit seeks to hold the family personally liable for the state's opioid crisis

Pennsylvania is suing members of the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, for their alleged role in the state's opioid crisis, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths.

Attorney General Josh Shapiro filed the lawsuit on Thursday, accusing the Sackler family of directing and controlling an illegal marketing campaign of OxyContin, a prescription opioid blamed by many for their addiction.

The lawsuit against the Sacklers, filed under seal, seeks to hold the family personally liable for the state's opioid crisis.

Shapiro issued a statement saying the Sackler family is only concerned with keeping their "ill-gotten gains."

"Through our negotiations with Purdue Pharma, it became crystal clear the Sacklers have no intention of taking any ownership for engineering an epidemic that claims the lives of 12 Pennsylvanians each day," Shapiro said. "They shamelessly came into our commonwealth and preyed on senior citizens, veterans and those suffering from substance use disorder." read more »

Whistleblower was right to report PharMerica kickback scheme, court says

A whistleblower was right to notify the authorities of a kickback scheme between pharmaceutical company Organon and long-term care pharmacy PharMerica, a federal appeals court suggested Tuesday.

The First Circuit Court of Appeals listened to oral arguments Tuesday for a bid to revive a case that alleges PharMerica made kickbacks to skilled nursing facilities. Relators argued a federal court was wrong to say the whistleblower wasn’t the original source of the kickback scheme claims.