美国国家公共电台 NPR Purdue Pharma: Sackler Family's 'Personal Wealth' Offered In Opioid Deal

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

Let's talk about the latest development in the push to hold drug companies accountable for the nation's opioid crisis. Purdue Pharma manufacturers the opioid medication OxyContin. That company is owned by one of the wealthiest families in America, the Sacklers. Purdue is facing a wave of lawsuits¹. But state attorneys general say they are at an impasse² in negotiations³. And the company is likely to file for bankruptcy⁴. So what could that mean? Well, North Country Public Radio's Brian Mann covers opioid litigation for NPR and joins me this morning. Hi, Brian.

BRIAN MANN, BYLINE⁵: Hi, David.

GREENE: Let's just talk about the substance, first, of these talks with Purdue Pharma and what they were meant to accomplish.

MANN: Yeah. This was really high-stakes stuff. Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family - they've signaled for months that they want some kind of national settlement that would cap their liability and get money paid out to these communities hit hard by the opioid epidemic⁶. We've heard payouts could run as high as 10 to 12 billion dollars. But in this latest round of talks, state attorneys general demanded something specific. They wanted the Sacklers to commit to paying roughly $4.5 billion out of their personal fortunes as part of that compensation. They say the Sacklers balked⁷ at that. And here's Josh Stein. He's attorney general for the state of North Carolina.

JOSH STEIN: We needed more security on the part of the Sacklers that the money that they were pledging they would, in fact, pay. And we didn't have that commitment. And the Sacklers rejected those proposals. The deal was there to be made, and they refused. And so this is where we find ourselves.

GREENE: All right. So North Carolina's attorney general - they're saying the deal was there. They refused. Is there still hope for a deal? I mean, what happens now?

MANN: Right. So at this point, Stein and other members of his negotiating team - they predict Purdue Pharma will now file for bankruptcy protection imminently⁹. In an email they sent Saturday that was obtained by NPR, they said states across the U.S. are already preparing for that bankruptcy to happen. And Purdue has signaled in the past that bankruptcy is one of the options they're considering. The company declined to answer our questions about this over the weekend or say whether bankruptcy is, in fact, imminent⁸. But Purdue Pharma did send NPR a statement late last night saying they still hope to negotiate some kind of deal. In fact, they say talks with some government officials, possibly local government officials, are still continuing.

GREENE: But what about bankruptcy? And what implication could that have, I mean, for these lawsuits against the company, of course? But I'm just thinking about all the people who say they need money to recover from opioids.

MANN: Yeah, this is going to complicate¹⁰ all of that enormously. Remember, more than 2,000 state and local governments have sued. Total claims could run into the tens of billions of dollars. And a major federal trial involving Purdue Pharma and 20 other drug companies is scheduled for just next month in Ohio. So if this bankruptcy happens, it could throw all of that into chaos¹¹. It might take years to sort out what assets remain and then who's first in line to get some kind of compensation.

GREENE: But, I mean, Brian, this is also the story of a famous and controversial American family - right? - the Sacklers. I mean, opioid sales made them one of the richest families in the country. If Purdue Pharma does file for Chapter 11 protection, I mean, what could happen to their personal wealth?

MANN: Yeah. There's a legal argument being made by some of these states that the Sacklers effectively stripped billions of dollars out of Purdue Pharma over the years. In part, it's alleged¹² because the family suspected their company would eventually face lawsuits like this. So 17 states are already suing the Sacklers directly to try to claw back some of those profits. And Josh Stein, the attorney general of North Carolina, said - says other states will follow.

STEIN: Many states, like mine, will be filing lawsuits against the Sacklers in their individual capacity in creating this epidemic. I think almost more than any other family and company, they have to wear that burden.

MANN: So the Sacklers and Purdue Pharma - they're going to face other legal troubles that won't end if there's a bankruptcy. The Wall Street Journal also reported Friday that the U.S. Justice Department is involved in separate talks with Purdue Pharma that could involve criminal, as well as civil complaints.

GREENE: Brian Mann from North Country Public Radio covers opioid litigation for us at NPR. Thanks, Brian.

MANN: Thank you, David.

1 lawsuits   

n.诉讼( lawsuit的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Lawsuits involving property rights and farming and grazing rights increased markedly. 涉及财产权，耕作与放牧权的诉讼案件显著地增加。 来自辞典例句
• I've lost and won more lawsuits than any man in England. 全英国的人算我官司打得最多，赢的也多，输的也多。 来自辞典例句

2 impasse   

n.僵局；死路

参考例句：

• The government had reached an impasse.政府陷入绝境。
• Negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.谈判似乎已经陷入僵局。

3 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

4 bankruptcy   

n.破产；无偿付能力

参考例句：

• You will have to pull in if you want to escape bankruptcy.如果你想避免破产，就必须节省开支。
• His firm is just on thin ice of bankruptcy.他的商号正面临破产的危险。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

7 balked   

v.畏缩不前，犹豫( balk的过去式和过去分词 )；（指马）不肯跑

参考例句：

• He balked in his speech. 他忽然中断讲演。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• They balked the robber's plan. 他们使强盗的计划受到挫败。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 imminent   

adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的

参考例句：

• The black clounds show that a storm is imminent.乌云预示暴风雨即将来临。
• The country is in imminent danger.国难当头。

9 imminently   

迫切地，紧急地

参考例句：

• The problem of developing bend curve parts needs to be solved imminently. 弯边零件的展开是急需解决的问题。
• Obviously, the knowledge renews imminently, lifelong studies the duty to be arduous. 可见，知识更新迫在眉睫，终身学习任务繁重。

10 complicate   

vt.使复杂化，使混乱，使难懂

参考例句：

• There is no need to complicate matters.没有必要使问题复杂化。
• These events will greatly complicate the situation.这些事件将使局势变得极其复杂。

11 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

12 alleged   

a.被指控的，嫌疑的

参考例句：

• It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
• alleged irregularities in the election campaign 被指称竞选运动中的不正当行为