Purdue Pharma, the company that manufactures the powerful opioid OxyContin, will plead guilty to three federal charges as part of a larger $8 billion settlement arrangement, the Justice Department said Wednesday.
Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen said Purdue has agreed to plead guilty in federal court in New Jersey to felonies including conspiracy to defraud the United States, and two counts of conspiracy to violate anti-kickback laws.
OxyContin has been widely blamed for starting the country’s opioid crisis, which has killed more than 400,000 Americans over the past two decades.
The settlement announced Wednesday includes the largest penalties ever levied against a pharmaceutical manufacturer, including a criminal fine of $3.55 billion and an additional $2 billion in criminal forfeiture.
Purdue has also agreed to a civil settlement in the amount of $2.8 billion to resolve its civil liability under the False Claims Act.
Read more at The Hill.
{Matzav.com}
