Purdue Pharma has been hit with thousands of lawsuits for its role in the opioid addiction crisis that has led to record level overdoes throughout the United States dating back to the late 1990s.
According to the US National Health Institute, Purdue Pharma falsely claimed in advertisements and in statements to federal regulators that the company’s main product, an opioid painkiller known as OxyContin, was not addictive.
The potential deal was part of confidential talks with Purdue's lawyers at a meeting in Cleveland on 20 August, NBC News reported on Tuesday, citing two people familiar with the matter.
At least ten US state attorneys general and the plaintiffs’ attorneys were gathered at the meeting where David Sackler represented the Sackler family, the owner of Purdue Pharma, the report added.
The drugmaker did not confirm the proposed settlement terms but in a statement said it was working with the states attorneys general and plaintiffs to resolve the matter, according to the report.
