OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty to three criminal charges

In a virtual hearing on Tuesday, the Stamford, Connecticut company admitted:

• It impeded the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s efforts to combat the addiction crisis.
• It had not maintained an effective program in preventing any black market sales. Purdue also gave misleading information to the DEA in order to boost manufacturing quotas.
• It also admitted paying doctors through a speakers program as an incentive to prescribe painkillers.

The big picture: The plea is one part of a slew of legal and financial troubles for the opioid manufacturer.

• Purdue earlier agreed to pay $225 million out of the $8.3 billion in penalties and forfeitures owed to the federal government.
• Members of the wealthy Sackler family who own the company have also agreed to pay $225 million to the federal government to settle civil claims.

Yes, but: Advocates and several attorneys general say the plea does little for the lives lost and the ongoing opioid crisis, which has worsened throughout the coronavirus pandemic, early data shows.