(The Center Square) – Pennsylvania is closing another chapter in its quest to provide justice for millions of victims of the opioid epidemic.
Attorney General Dave Sunday announced Monday that, along with 54 other attorneys general, a settlement has been reached with the Sackler families and their company Purdue Pharma for $7.4 billion.
The commonwealth stands to get as much as $200 million from the settlement, which also revokes ownership of Purdue from the Sacklers and bars them from future opioid sales within the United States. The final financial resolution will be determined by localities signing off on the settlement, which will be paid out over the course of the next 15 years.
”As Pennsylvania families and communities suffered during an unprecedented addiction crisis, Purdue and the Sacklers reaped the mammoth profits from their products,” Sunday said.
At 2.5%, the state has one of the highest per capita rates of opioid use disorder in the country. According to the attorney general’s office, about 14 Pennsylvanians die every day from overdose. While the majority of those deaths now involve fentanyl, the crisis has its roots in the proliferation of dangerous and addictive prescription drugs like those peddled by the Sackler family.
Harm reductionists have had success combatting overdose numbers as the drug naloxone – frequently known through the brand name Narcan – has been made widely available. Statistics show opioid addiction and the subsequent loss of life, health, community, and economic output continues to ravage the commonwealth.
“This monumental settlement achieves the top priority of getting as much money as quickly as possible to prevention, treatment, and recovery programs across the commonwealth,” Sunday said. “My office will continue engagement with municipal leaders to ensure millions of dollars reach every corner of the state.”
The existing Pennsylvania Opioid Trust uses money from previous settlements to support recovery and treatment. The state’s introduction of behavioral crisis units and other programs has begun to slowly take shape as the funds are dispersed, though there has been some frustration with the pace of progress.
In addition to the Sackler settlement, the state is receiving more than a $1 billion from McKesson, Cardinal Health, and AmerisourceBergend, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and parent company Johnson & Johnson over 18 years from a settlement reached in 2021. In 2022, an agreement was reached with CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart, and manufacturers Allergan and Teva with a settlement pending. The state has also received more than seven million dollars from a 2022 national settlement with Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals.
