Tentative Deal Emerges For Purdue Pharma In Sweeping Opioid Case, But Many States Remain Unsatisfied With Terms

The New York Times: Purdue Pharma Tentatively Settles Thousands Of Opioid Cases
Thousands of municipal governments nationwide and nearly two dozen states that sued the pharmaceutical industry for the destructive opioid crisis have tentatively reached a settlement with Purdue Pharma and its owners, members of the Sackler family. The deal is a landmark moment in the long-running effort to compel Purdue, the company whose signature opioid, OxyContin, is seen as an early driver of the epidemic, and its owners, the Sacklers, to face a reckoning for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people from overdoses and the calamitous systemic costs. (Hoffman, 9/11)

The Washington Post: Tentative Deal Reached With Purdue Pharma, Maker Of OxyContin
If the deal becomes final, it would be the first comprehensive settlement in the broad effort to hold drug companies accountable for their role in the opioid epidemic. To date, Purdue has also settled with one state, Oklahoma, for $270 million, and won a victory when a North Dakota judge threw out that state’s case against the company. The deal also would mark the demise of Purdue as a private company widely blamed for its role in driving the prescription opioid epidemic in the late 1990s and the first years of this century. In 2007, Purdue and three of its executives pleaded guilty to criminal charges of misleading doctors and the public about the safety of OxyContin and paid a $635 million fine. (Bernstein, Davis, Achenbach and Higham, 9/11)

The Associated Press: Tentative Opioids Settlement Falls Short Of Nationwide Deal
The agreement with about half the states and attorneys representing roughly 2,000 local governments would have Purdue file for a structured bankruptcy and pay as much as $12 billion over time, with about $3 billion coming from the Sackler family. That number involves future profits and the value of drugs currently in development. In addition, the family would have to give up its ownership of the company and contribute another $1.5 billion by selling another of its pharmaceutical companies, Mundipharma. (9/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Purdue Pharma Reaches Deal With Cities, 23 States Over Opioid Crisis
Purdue has valued the settlement at between $10 billion and $12 billion, though much of that relies on future sales of its signature painkiller and the development of drugs to treat opioid addiction. States that oppose the deal have questioned the settlement’s valuation. A Purdue spokesman said Wednesday the company “continues to work with all plaintiffs on reaching a comprehensive resolution to its opioid litigation” that will include billions of dollars and overdose-rescue medicines. Representatives for the Sacklers didn’t respond to a request for comment. (Randazzo and Hopkins, 9/11)

Reuters: Purdue Pharma Reaches Tentative Opioid Settlement With Some: Sources
More than a dozen other states remain opposed or uncommitted to the deal, setting the stage for a legal battle over Purdue's efforts to contain the litigation in bankruptcy court, they said.States on Wednesday updated a federal judge on the settlement offer's support, which could evolve as the day progresses, the people said. (9/11)

Bloomberg: Purdue Nearing Deal Over Opioids As 23 States Agree To Pact
States that want more from the Sacklers, including Massachusetts, New York and Connecticut, will have to battle in bankruptcy court to extract it from the multibillionaire family, said Chuck Tatelbaum, a Florida-based lawyer who has worked on mass-tort cases that wound up in Chapter 11. “Without the super majority of 35 states, the case becomes infinitely more complicated,” Tatelbaum said. “A bankruptcy judge will be less inclined to sign off on a deal without that number and then it becomes a question of who gets what and who gives what.” (Feeley, 9/11)

WBUR: OxyContin Maker May Have Reached Deal With 22 AGs. Healey Is Not One Of Them.
[Massachusetts Attorney General Maura] Healey, who has been resistant to a reported settlement of between $10 billion to $12 billion with Purdue Pharma over apparent concerns that the family that owns the company would not contribute enough of its own fortune, is not one of the attorneys general who signed onto the settlement, her office said. (Young, 9/11)

CNBC: Purdue Pharma Reaches Tentative Deal To Settle Roughly 2,000 Opioid Cases
“The families who were hurt by Purdue and the Sacklers have spoken loud and clear that this case demands real accountability, and I will continue to fight for that,” Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement. “It’s critical that all the facts come out about what this company and its executives and directors did, that they apologize for the harm they caused, and that no one profits from breaking the law.” (Lovelace, 9/11)

CT Mirror: CT Rejects Proposed Settlement Of Opioid Suit Against Purdue, Sacklers
Saying it does not do enough to atone for the havoc wrecked by the opioid epidemic, Connecticut has rejected a tentative settlement reached by Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family that would settle thousands of lawsuits nationwide. “I cannot speak to other states or divulge confidential negotiations, but Connecticut has not agreed to any settlement,” said Attorney William Tong, who was involved in the negotiations. (Radelat and Carlesso, 9/11)

PBS NewsHour: $3 Billion From Sacklers ‘Just A Down Payment’ On Opioid Debt, Says Conn. Attorney General
The American opioid crisis has left a lethal mark. Experts estimate as many as 400,000 people may have died from overdoses and related problems in the past several decades. Now, more than 20 states appear to have reached a comprehensive settlement against Purdue Pharma, maker of opioid OxyContin. Amna Nawaz talks to Connecticut Attorney General William Tong about why he thinks it’s not enough. (9/11)

NBC News: At Least 16 States Reject Settlement With OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma
The attorney general of North Carolina, who opposes the deal, issued a statement Wednesday saying that a "large number of states" think the Sackler family needs to guarantee more money. "We believe they created a mess and must help to clear it up," said Attorney General Josh Stein. "I am now preparing filings to sue the Sackler family." (Strickler, 9/11)

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Rejects Purdue Pharma Settlement As Fight Over Lame-Duck Laws Continues
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul called the tentative settlement with other states inadequate. But for now, the Democratic attorney general couldn't finalize a deal with the pharmaceutical giant even if he wanted because of his disagreement with Republican state lawmakers. (Marley, 9/11)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma Agrees To Settle Most Lawsuits Accusing Company Of Fueling Opioid Epidemic, Reports Say
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is a supporter. “The proposed settlement with Purdue provides the greatest certainty for all Ohioans to receive relief as quickly as possible in light of rumored bankruptcy,” Yost spokesman David O’Neil said in a statement. “AG Yost continues to fight to get resources for those impacted statewide and has been actively involved in the negotiations.” (Heisig, 9/11)

Louisville Courier Journal: Purdue Pharma Settlement Puts Spotlight On Andy Beshear's Role
Reports of Purdue Pharma — manufacturer of the popular painkiller OxyContin — reaching a major settlement with multiple states and cities on Wednesday is being injected into Kentucky's race for governor. (Bailey, 9/11)

The Associated Press: Settlement Money Won’t Restore Ohio City Upended By Opioids
The tentative settlement involving the opioid crisis and the maker of OxyContin could mean that thousands of local governments will one day be paid back for some of the costs of responding to the epidemic. But for public officials in Akron, no amount of money will restore the families and institutions that were upended by prescription painkillers, heroin and fentanyl. (Carr Smyth, 9/12)

In other news —

The Wall Street Journal: Maryland Worries Fentanyl Drug Sale Could Fuel More Addiction
The state of Maryland is uncomfortable with Insys Therapeutics Inc. ’s proposed sale of the opioid drug Subsys, raising concerns the buyer would fuel further illegal sales of the drug. In an objection filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del., where Insys is selling off its assets, Maryland authorities said they believe the proposed buyer is linked to a company that has its roots in a mail-order pharmacy that they said “knowingly aided” off-label sales of Subsys, a powerful fentanyl painkiller. The state said Subsys shouldn’t be sold unless safeguards are in place to prevent the buyer from following Insys in feeding drug addiction. (Brickley, 9/11)

The New York Times: A Snapshot Of Prescription Drug Use In Britain Sparks A Call For Alternatives
A quarter of all adults in Britain take prescription medication for pain, anxiety, depression or insomnia, and half of those people had been taking the drugs for a year or more, according to a government report released this week. The report, based on an analysis of prescription data in 2017 and 2018, is the first snapshot of prescription drug use in Britain. Though the numbers did not suggest the same degree of opioid abuse as in the United States, public health officials said the report underscored the need to find alternatives to prescribing medications. (Abdul, 9/11)