HARTFORD, Conn. — Nearly half the states and some 2,000 local governments have agreed to a tentative settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma over the toll of the nation's opioid crisis.
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said the agreement reached Wednesday included more money from the family that owns Purdue than had been offered previously.
He told The Associated Press the tentative settlement deal was the quickest way to get relief for communities devastated by the opioid epidemic.
Sources with direct knowledge of the talks say that Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue will pay up to $12 billion over time and that the Sackler family will give up control of the company. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Paul Farrell is an attorney for several local governments. He said in a text message that they have agreed to a deal that has been on the table for several weeks.
Even with Wednesday's development, roughly half the states had not signed on. Several state attorneys general, including North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein, vowed to continue their legal battles against the company and the Sacklers.
Stein released a statement: “I am now preparing filings to sue the Sackler family. The Sackler family has extracted billions of dollars from Purdue since 2007 and they’ve made billions more from the overseas businesses in their opioid empire. I allege that these people are among the most responsible for the trail of death and destruction the opioid epidemic has left in its wake – and I will not stop fighting until I am assured that they have made a meaningful and certain commitment to pay for drug addiction treatment and other remedies."