The Justice Department announced on Wednesday a global settlement of civil and criminal investigations into Purdue Pharma's aggressive marketing of opioid medications, including OxyContin. Federal officials have long maintained Purdue's actions helped fuel a prescription opioid epidemic that has killed more than 232,000 Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But the deal unveiled Wednesday morning, which includes three felony guilty pleas, won't result in company officials or members of the Sackler family, who own Purdue Pharma, serving prison time. However, Justice Department officials said this deal doesn't preclude future criminal prosecutions of individuals involved in Purdue Pharma's opioid marketing practices. They said those separate investigations are ongoing.
During a press conference, Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey A. Rosen said the settlement would "redress past wrongs." Read more