Purdue Pharma L.P. will plead guilty to three federal criminal charges in a settlement worth over $8 billion, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday citing Justice Department officials.
The company is expected to further admit to violating federal anti-kickback laws by paying doctors, through a speaking program, to induce them to write more prescriptions for the company’s opioids and for using electronic health records software to influence the prescription of pain medication.
The financial part of the pleading shall include a direct payment to the government of $225 million, as part of a larger $2 billion criminal forfeiture. In addition to that forfeiture, the company also faces a $3.54 billion criminal fine, though that money probably will not be fully collected because it will be taken through a bankruptcy, which includes a large number of other creditors. Purdue will also agree to $2.8 billion in damages to resolve its civil liability.
