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The Bankruptcy Of Purdue Pharma In The Wake Of Big Tobacco, Jacob Hedgpeth
The Bankruptcy Of Purdue Pharma In The Wake Of Big Tobacco, Jacob Hedgpeth
University of Colorado Law Review Forum
Two distinct public health crises shook the United States from 1954 to 2023: nicotine addiction from tobacco products, and opioid addiction starting with Purdue Pharmaceutical’s OxyContin. These crises resulted in millions of deaths and immense costs to the country as a whole. The nicotine crisis ended in a national settlement against four major tobacco manufacturers, which yielded hundreds of millions of dollars for those harmed by these products. The owners of Purdue, however, opted for bankruptcy instead of settlement, keeping the majority of the money made from OxyContin for Purdue’s owners, the Sackler family.
These four tobacco giants and Purdue …