Talks aimed at getting Purdue Pharma’s owners to increase their contribution to the opioid maker’s bankruptcy settlement have stalled, with members of the billionaire Sackler family resisting demands from states to boost their offer by more than $2 billion, Bloomberg News reported. The Sacklers are willing to add more than $1 billion to their cash contribution, bringing their total to more than $4 billion. But attorneys general for states involved in the court-ordered mediation are seeking more than $5 billion to beef up addiction treatment and police budgets. Another sticking point is the Sacklers’ demand that they face no state criminal charges over Purdue’s illegal marketing of the painkillers. Members of the Sackler family have consistently denied any personal wrongdoing. Negotiators are still trying to resolve objections to Purdue’s reorganization plan, which would help state and local governments pay for damage caused by OxyContin and other opioid-based drugs blamed for more than 400,000 deaths. All told, the plan may provide as much as $10 billion, but the value could plummet if there’s no agreement with the Sacklers. This would mean far less cash for government and possibly leave some family members open to personal liability.
