WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, will plead guilty to three federal criminal charges as part of a settlement of more than $8 billion.
OxyContin is the powerful prescription painkiller that experts say helped touch off an opioid epidemic. The charges include conspiracy to defraud the United States and violating federal anti-kickback laws.
The deal doesn’t release any of the company’s executives or owners from criminal liability, and a criminal investigation is ongoing.
One state attorney general says the deal fails to hold accountable members of the wealthy Sackler family who own the company.