Mass. to get $105 million in settlement with Purdue Pharma

Massachusetts is in line for up to $105 million from a $7.4 billion settlement with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family that controls the company, Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced Tuesday as she said the deal announced in January had been unanimously agreed to.

All 55 eligible states and U.S. territories signed onto the deal with OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma and Campbell's office said the Sackler family "has also informed the attorneys general of its plan to proceed with the settlement, which would resolve litigation against Purdue and Sacklers for their role in creating and worsening the opioid crisis across the country."

Massachusetts state and local governments will be eligible to receive as much as $105 million from the settlement over the next 15 years, a slight drop from the $108 million that Campbell said the state stood to gain when she announced the settlement in principle in January. The settlement will depend on court approval of Purdue’s bankruptcy plan, which the court is expected to consider later this year, Campbell's office said.

"While this settlement cannot bring back the lives lost, it will bring in much-needed funds to begin to remediate the damage and ensure that the Sacklers can be held accountable for the lasting devastation they have caused. I am incredibly grateful to the families who turned their pain into purpose to inform our work in this space," Campbell said in January when she was one of 15 attorneys general on board with the settlement.

Most of the settlement money will be distributed in the first three years. The Sacklers will pay $1.5 billion and Purdue will pay roughly $900 million in the first payment, expected in early 2026 if the settlement is approved. Subsequent payments will come after one year ($500 million), after two years ($500 million), and after three years ($400 million).

Money from the settlement would fund opioid addiction treatment, prevention and recovery programs, the AG said, calling it the largest settlement to date involving individuals who allegedly played a role in the opioid crisis. Campbell's office said that Massachusetts has obtained settlements worth more than a cumulative $1 billion from companies that helped fuel the opioid epidemic.