The New York Times reports:
Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, the drug widely seen as igniting the opioid crisis, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday night, a move at the center of the company’s efforts to shield itself and its owners from more than 2,600 federal and state lawsuits.
The terms of the filing, which include a proposed resolution of most of those cases, are expected to be fiercely contested by a group of 26 states that have refused to settle with Purdue and are intent on pursuing the company’s owners, the Sacklers, considered one of the wealthiest families in the United States. A showdown in bankruptcy court in White Plains could come as early as this week.
Restructuring the company through bankruptcy was at the heart of a tentative settlement agreement reached last week between the company and thousands of cities and counties that have sued it in federal court for its role in the opioid epidemic. Twenty-four states and five United States territories have also accepted the agreement.
BREAKING: Company that makes prescription painkiller OxyContin files for bankruptcy protection amid lawsuits over opioid crisis. https://t.co/b5zE7Ax8Yq
— The Associated Press (@AP) September 16, 2019
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma files for bankruptcy protection https://t.co/BI9ejJqmZH by @mike_d_spector pic.twitter.com/rI4q8AK5GH
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) September 16, 2019
BREAKING: OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma has filed for bankruptcy to wipe out 2,000+ lawsuits against the company and its billionaire owners, the Sacklers.
Read more @business: https://t.co/OTlH0nF9CX pic.twitter.com/JjRMM2HOcs
— Bloomberg TicToc (@tictoc) September 16, 2019