Newark (United States) (AFP) – A federal judge in New Jersey on Tuesday sentenced the American laboratory Purdue Pharma, considered responsible for the origin of the opioid crisis in the United States, before its bankruptcy plan comes into effect.

First modification: 05/01/2026 - 12:53

The laboratory and the Sackler family, its owner, were accused of promoting a painkiller, OxyContin, hiding its high addictive potential and paying bribes to doctors, which generated profits of billions of dollars.

The company must pay more than $8 billion in this case, under the bankruptcy plan.

Purdue Pharma is due to dissolve on May 1 and a new independent firm called Knoa Pharma will take over its assets and expertise with the mission of addressing the "opioid crisis."

For more than six hours Tuesday, the judge heard testimony from dozens of victims and their families before urging Purdue Pharma Chairman Steve Miller to apologize.

The judge also apologized on behalf of the US government, which "failed" to protect the population against practices "motivated by greed" of Purdue Pharma, whose "strategy was comparable to that of a criminal enterprise."

Several victims in the courtroom asked to reject an agreement—demanding in particular criminal action against the Sackler family or higher compensation—but the judge considered it the "best possible avenue" at her disposal.

Finally, he urged the bankruptcy lawyers to comply with the compensation.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost 727,000 people died in the United States between 1999 and 2022 from overdoses related to opioids, whether prescribed or used illegally.

© 2026 AFP

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