Maryland might receive $90 million from an opioid settlement agreement with Purdue Pharma.
In a recent Maryland Matters article, the prescription opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma will likely pay out billions to over 55 states and territories for their role in the opioid crisis. Maryland is expecting to receive $90 million in the tentative settlement agreement. The historic settlement deal still requires approval from a federal bankruptcy court. The deal will allow individuals to retain the right to sue members of the Sackler family, who owns Purdue Pharma.
From the article:
The settlement “will end the Sacklers’ control of Purdue and ability to sell opioids in the United States,” according to New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of the attorneys leading the case as it moved through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
From the OAG press release:
The Sackler family has informed the attorneys general of its plan to proceed with the settlement, which could resolve litigation against Purdue and the Sacklers for their role in creating and worsening the opioid crisis across the country. Local governments in Maryland and across the country will be asked to join the settlement contingent on bankruptcy court proceedings.
All 50 states have approved the opioid settlement, which could lead to $7.4 billion paid out over fifteen years. The settlement resolves claims over the company’s aggressive opioid marketing. According to NPR, the deal follows a 2024 US Supreme Court decision that overturned a previous settlement plan. Settlement funds in Maryland are directed towards the Maryland Opioid Restitution Fund (ORF). As previously covered by MACo, localized remediation efforts have been highly responsive to the unique needs of individual communities, which often differ across jurisdictions. Local agencies have swiftly implemented several tactics to put settlement funds to effective use:
- medication assisted treatment
- crisis intervention and stabilization
- harm reduction services
- linkage to care
- mobile crisis response units
- peer specialists and coordination
- school-based prevention
- recovery housing
- naloxone distribution
