PA could receive $212 million as part of national settlement with Purdue Pharma, Sackler Family

HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania is expected to receive over $200 million as part of a national settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler Family.

Attorney General Dave Sunday said on Thursday Pennsylvania could receive up to $212 million to be put toward fighting the opioid crisis over the next 15 years.

The deal, agreed to by Purdue Pharma, the Sackler family members who own the company and lawyers representing state and local governments and thousands of victims of the opioid crisis, represents an increase of more than $1 billion over a previous settlement deal that was rejected last year by the U.S. Supreme Court.

“No dollar amount could ever replace what has been lost due to the opioid epidemic, but this settlement will go a long way in bolstering treatment resources and helping Pennsylvanians achieve recovery,” Attorney General Sunday said. “This epidemic, no doubt, was fueled by Purdue Pharma’s manufacturing and deceptive marketing of OxyContin, a highly potent and addictive drug. Dependency on the drug ruined countless lives, while the Sackler family and Purdue made more than $35 billion from its distribution, profiting off of the suffering of others.”

The money will be delivered to communities directly across the country and be put toward opioid addiction treatment, prevention and recovery programs, Sunday said.

The settlement is still pending court approval.

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