MARYLAND (WBFF) — A $7.4 billion settlement reached with Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, has gone into effect, Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced Friday.
“The opioid crisis has devastated Maryland families and communities, and the Sacklers must be held accountable for the role they played in fueling it,” Brown said in a news release. “This settlement will support treatment, prevention and recovery for Marylanders who have suffered for far too long.”
All 55 eligible U.S. states and territories signed onto the settlement, resolving a lawsuit against Purdue and the Sackler family for producing and aggressively marketing opioids. Their business fueled the opioid crisis, which began in the late 1990s and caused more than 800,000 overdose deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Purdue is paying approximately $900 million immediately. The Sacklers are paying more than $1.5 billion today, followed by an additional $500 million in 2027, $500 million in 2028 and $400 million in 2029.
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