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OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma Pleads Guilty in Criminal Case

Associated Press

   Purdue Pharma pleaded guilty Tuesday to three criminal charges,
   formally taking responsibility for its part in an opioid epidemic that
   has contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths but also angering
   critics who want to see individuals held accountable, in addition to
   the company.

   In a virtual hearing with a federal judge in Newark, New Jersey, the
   OxyContin maker admitted impeding the U.S. Drug Enforcement
   Administration's efforts to combat the addiction crisis.

   Purdue acknowledged that it had not maintained an effective program to
   prevent prescription drugs from being diverted to the black market,
   even though it had told the DEA it did have such a program, and that it
   provided misleading information to the agency as a way to boost company
   manufacturing quotas.

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