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Victims of the opioid crisis will finally receive final compensation after years of legal battle against Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, its owners.

Both companies agreed to resolve lawsuits linked to the impact of OxyContin, a prescription painkiller widely blamed for fueling the opioid crisis, with a $7.4 billion price tag. It will replace a previously negotiated settlement the US Supreme Court already rejected. As part of the new deal, the Sacklers are committing $6.5 billion and Purdue Pharma another nearly $900 million.

On approval, AP News reported that money will be transferred toward victims, the state, and local governments, and treatment facilities regarding the opioid abuse crisis. The family of Sackler will end their ownership stake in Purdue Pharma, and this company will change its structure through a board led by entities concerned with the various lawsuits.

A substantial part of the amount, between $800 million and $850 million, will go toward victims of the opioid crisis or their survivors—an unusual provision in opioid settlements. Another $800 million has been set aside for future claims. The new deal also restricts the Sackler family's protections, allowing members to be insulated from lawsuits by only those signing up for this settlement. State attorneys general, who negotiated the deal, said holding the Sacklers accountable is a priority.

Lawsuits Against Purdue Pharma and Sacklers Over OxyContin

According to NBC News, the company and the family that owns it lied to health professionals by downplaying the risk of increased addiction for OxyContin, with the accusation surfacing just weeks after the company declared bankruptcy in 2019.

The prescription painkiller was connected to the opioid crisis, which has since killed hundreds of thousands of Americans starting in 1996. In the recent years, the epidemic has only worsened with illicit fentanyl causing more than 70,000 deaths per year since almost 5 years ago.

However, it's expected that despite this new settlement, the Sacklers will remain untouched by legal consequences. So far, their names have been taken off institutions across the world for their part in the opioid crisis. Legal experts underlined the fact that this is more important to victims seeking accountability for one of the country's most infamous public health crises.