Sophie Bennett
Purdue Pharma, the company at the centre of the opioid crisis, has been facing a wave of civil lawsuits since the first was filed in 2014. The company has been sued by several states for its aggressive sales and marketing of OxyContin, which contributed to the opioid epidemic and led to thousands of deaths. Purdue Pharma is owned by the Sackler family, who have been seeking immunity from future lawsuits. Purdue Chicken, on the other hand, is a chicken producer founded in 1920 by Arthur and Pearl Perdue. It is unrelated to Purdue Pharma and has no connection to the opioid crisis.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Purdue Pharma | OxyContin maker |
| Perdue Farms | Chicken producer |
| Purdue University | Educational institution |
| Purdue Pharma's opioid involvement | OxyContin marketing and sales, lawsuits, settlements, bankruptcy |
| Perdue Farms' chicken business | Regional chicken producer, television ads featuring owner Frank Perdue |
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What You'll Learn
Purdue Pharma's role in the opioid crisis
Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family, has played a significant role in the opioid crisis in the United States. The company developed and aggressively marketed OxyContin, a powerful prescription painkiller that has been at the centre of the opioid epidemic. OxyContin was launched in 1996, and Purdue turned it into a multibillion-dollar drug through an unprecedented marketing campaign targeting doctors. The company instructed its representatives to mislead physicians about the addictive nature of the drug, claiming that only those with "addictive personalities" became addicts.
Purdue Pharma hired Rudolph Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, to head off a federal investigation in the mid-2000s into the company's marketing of OxyContin. Despite this, the first opioid lawsuits were filed against Purdue Pharma around 2014, and since then, a wave of civil lawsuits has been filed by states including New York, Texas, and Colorado.
The Sackler family has made billions of dollars from OxyContin sales, and they withdrew large sums from the company and deposited them in off-shore accounts as the opioid epidemic worsened. The family has been removed from control of Purdue Pharma, and a settlement of $7.4 billion has been reached to provide funding for opioid addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery programs across the country.
The role of Purdue Pharma in the opioid crisis has been well-documented, with estimates suggesting that the epidemic has claimed at least 300,000 lives in the past two decades. The company's focus on profits over ethics has had devastating consequences for American families, and the litigation and scrutiny of Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family continue.
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OxyContin: the drug behind opioid deaths
Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, has been at the centre of the opioid epidemic, which has claimed at least 300,000 lives. The company's aggressive marketing of the powerful prescription painkiller has led to a wave of civil lawsuits, with states seeking to hold individual members of the Sackler family liable for the costs of the opioid crisis.
The first opioid lawsuits against Purdue Pharma were filed around 2014, and since then, a growing number of states have joined the litigation. In 2019, Purdue Pharma reached a $270 million settlement with Oklahoma, which claimed its opioids contributed to the deaths of thousands. Despite this, the Sackler family has not faced criminal charges and has continued to protect its wealth and reputation through philanthropy.
The Sacklers have sought to shield themselves from civil claims related to the opioid epidemic, even as they proposed ending lawsuits without the consent of opioid victims. A federal district judge initially rejected a bankruptcy settlement that would have protected the family, but after increasing their offer, many parties signed on. Purdue Pharma has continued to market and sell opioids, and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2019 to deal with mounting liability.
OxyContin, a powerful prescription painkiller, was launched by Purdue in 1996 with an unprecedented campaign targeting doctors. The drug has become a multibillion-dollar success, generating massive profits for the company and the Sackler family. The efforts to curb its distribution have been belated and ineffective, fuelling a resurgence of heroin and the emergence of deadly synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
While Purdue Pharma has faced intense scrutiny and lawsuits, it is important to distinguish it from entities with similar names, such as Purdue University and Perdue Farms, a chicken producer. The similarity in names has led to confusion and jokes on social media, with Purdue University and Perdue Farms having to clarify their lack of association with the opioid manufacturer.
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Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy
Purdue Pharma and Purdue chicken are not related. Purdue, the maker of OxyContin, is often mistaken for Perdue Farms, a regional chicken producer.
Purdue Pharma, the Connecticut-based pharmaceutical company, filed for bankruptcy in 2019. This came as a result of a wave of civil lawsuits from various states, alleging that the company's pain medication, OxyContin, caused a widespread opioid addiction crisis in the United States.
The opioid crisis, which claimed at least 300,000 lives, led to intense scrutiny of Purdue Pharma and the role of the Sackler family, who owned the company and made billions from OxyContin sales. The first opioid lawsuits were filed around 2014, and in the mid-2000s, the company hired Rudolph Giuliani, the former New York mayor, to head off a federal investigation into their aggressive marketing of the drug.
In 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bankruptcy settlement that would have protected the Sacklers from civil claims related to the opioid epidemic, with Justice Gorsuch explaining that it would have prevented lawsuits without the consent of opioid victims. The Sacklers contributed money to Purdue's bankruptcy settlement but did not file for bankruptcy themselves.
In March 2025, Purdue Pharma filed a new bankruptcy plan, aiming to finalize a settlement of at least $7.4 billion. This plan gives creditors the choice to opt in to the settlement and be paid, or to pursue lawsuits against the Sacklers. The company expects widespread creditor support and plans to solicit votes and opt-in decisions from creditors. Purdue will pay $900 million and transform into a public benefit company devoted to producing medicine for treating opioid use disorder and reversing overdoses.
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Lawsuits against Purdue Pharma
Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, has been at the centre of numerous lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic. The first opioid lawsuits were filed against Purdue Pharma around 2014, leading to increased scrutiny on the role of members of the Sackler family, who made billions from OxyContin sales.
In the mid-2000s, Purdue Pharma hired Rudolph Giuliani, former New York mayor and now Donald Trump's lawyer, to head off a federal investigation into the company's marketing of the powerful prescription painkiller. OxyContin, launched in 1996, was aggressively marketed to doctors and soon became a multibillion-dollar drug.
The wave of civil lawsuits against Purdue Pharma has grown, with New York, Texas, and five other states joining the litigation. Local governments and individual victims must also vote on the settlement. The Supreme Court has rejected a provision at the heart of a settlement with Purdue Pharma that would have provided billions of dollars to help address the opioid epidemic in exchange for shielding the Sackler family from civil claims.
A new $7.4 billion opioid settlement for Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family has been approved by all U.S. states and territories. This deal adds significant funds to aid communities in recovering from the opioid crisis, although some critics argue that it falls short of providing meaningful compensation to direct victims of Purdue Pharma. The Sackler family has given up ownership of Purdue Pharma, and the company will become a public benefit company focused on opioid education and abatement.
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The Sackler family's involvement and liability
Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin, has been at the centre of the opioid crisis. The company was sued by the state of Oklahoma, which claimed its opioids contributed to the deaths of thousands of people. Purdue Pharma reached a $270 million settlement in this lawsuit in March 2019. The company also faced a wave of civil lawsuits as New York, Texas, and five other states joined a growing number of actions against the company.
The Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, made billions from OxyContin. The family has been facing civil claims related to the opioid epidemic. In 2024, the Supreme Court rejected a provision at the heart of a settlement with Purdue Pharma that would have channelled billions of dollars to help curb the opioid epidemic in exchange for shielding the Sacklers. The Sacklers had also proposed to end all the lawsuits without the consent of the opioid victims, which would have prevented suits against not just the company but also against hundreds or thousands of Sackler family members and entities under their control.
The Sacklers have been accused of trying to use their philanthropy to launder their reputation from the profits acquired from the selling of opiates. As a result, photographer Nan Goldin launched the organization P.A.I.N. to pressure museums and other cultural institutions to divest from Sackler Family philanthropy. As of May 2023, at least 20 institutions have dropped the Sackler name, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Yale University in the USA, and the National Gallery in London.
The Sackler family has also been trying to avoid criminal charges for contributing to the opioid crisis. Under a proposed settlement, the Sacklers would contribute $3 billion in cash and sell Mundipharma, contributing another $1.5 billion from the sales proceeds to the settlement. However, the Sacklers would still remain a billionaire family. Additionally, the settlement would transform Purdue Pharma into a public benefit company focused on opioid education and abatement.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Purdue Pharma is a pharmaceutical company that has been in the news for its aggressive sales of opioids in recent decades. Purdue Chicken, or Perdue Chicken, is a $6 billion poultry company founded in 1920 by Arthur and Pearl Perdue.
No, Purdue University is an educational institution that shares a similar name to Purdue Pharma but is unrelated to the pharmaceutical company.
Purdue Pharma is a pharmaceutical company that has been at the centre of the opioid crisis due to its aggressive marketing and sales of the drug OxyContin. The company is owned by the Sackler family, who have denied any wrongdoing and are seeking immunity from future lawsuits.
