OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma to Plead Guilty to 3 Criminal Charges

OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma to Plead Guilty to 3 Criminal Charges
Purdue Pharma logo at its offices in Stamford, Conn., on May 8, 2007. Douglas Healey/AP Photo
The Associated Press
Updated:

WASHINGTON—Purdue Pharma, the company that makes OxyContin, the powerful prescription painkiller that experts say helped touch off an opioid epidemic, will plead guilty to three federal criminal charges as part of a settlement of more than $8 billion, Justice Department officials announced Wednesday.

The company will plead guilty to three counts, including conspiracy to defraud the United States and violating federal anti-kickback laws, the officials said. The resolution will be detailed in a bankruptcy court filing in federal court.