Purdue and the Sackler family agree to a $7.4 billion OxyContin settlement.

Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family that controls it have agreed to pay up to $7.4bn (£6bn) to settle claims over the powerful painkiller OxyContin.

The agreement represents an increase of more than $1 billion over the previous agreement In the year It was rejected by the US Supreme Court in 2024As reported by news agencies AP and Reuters.

Under the deal, the Sacklers agreed to pay up to $6.5 billion and Purdue $900 million.

OxyContin, often a gateway drug to hard drugs like heroin, has been blamed for fueling the deadly opioid crisis in America, and has made billions of dollars for the Sackler family.

“We are pleased to have reached a new agreement to compensate victims, address the opioid crisis, and provide access to treatment and overdose medications,” Purdue said in a statement.

The deal still needs court approval, and some details have yet to be ironed out, but the AP said it was one of the largest settlements in a series of lawsuits by local, state, Native American tribal governments and others seeking to hold companies accountable. . For the deadly plague.

President Donald Trump’s federal government is not expected to oppose the new deal, AP said.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong told Reuters the settlement would help bring closure to people affected by the opioid crisis.

“It’s not just about the money,” Tong said. “There is not enough money in the world to do the right thing.”

In the year Since 1999, just a few years after the drug became available, opioid overdose deaths have been in the tens of thousands each year.

The lawsuit alleges that the Sackler family was aware of its legal risks long ago and withdrew $11 billion from the company in the decade before it filed for bankruptcy. They stashed most of the money overseas and used some to pay taxes to the company, making it difficult to recover.