Chicago Sun-Times - All | Illinois in line for $148.8M opioid settlement payout from Purdue Pharma by Mitchell Armentrout
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Illinois will receive $148.8 million from Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family as part of a nationwide $7.4 billion opioid settlement, with payments spread over the next 15 years—most of it arriving in the first three years. Attorney General Kwame Raoul emphasized that the money will be allocated equitably to support addiction treatment, prevention, and recovery programs across the state, acknowledging that no sum can fully repair the damage caused by Purdue’s aggressive marketing of OxyContin. The settlement follows a 2016 federal investigation and a 2019 Illinois lawsuit; while the Sacklers are barred permanently from selling opioids in the U.S., the broader agreement requires the family to pay $1.5 billion and Purdue $900 million initially, with additional installments thereafter. Nationwide opioid settlements have exceeded $58 billion, with Illinois earmarked for $1.6 billion total, of which over $531 million has already been disbursed. The funds aim to address the ongoing opioid crisis, which has claimed roughly 725,000 U.S. lives since 1999 and saw a spike in Cook County overdoses during the COVID‑19 pandemic.
