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The Sackler family and its company, Purdue Pharma, reached a settlement with a coalition of 15 states in relation to their involvement in the United States opioid crisis. If approved, the January 2025 settlement, which reportedly totals $7.4 billion, prevents the Sacklers from selling opioids in America and terminates its oversight of Purdue Pharma, which previously manufactured the drug OxyContin. While the Sackler family was once worth billions, this pending payment will require them to pay $6.5 billion over the course of 15 years; Purdue will pay $900 million in an up-front transaction, according to CBS News. The monies will go toward communities around the country to support opioid addiction recovery programs.
New York’s Attorney General Letitia James announced the settlement news on January 23, 2025, which read, “Families throughout New York and across the nation are suffering from the immense pain and loss wrought by the opioid crisis. The Sackler family relentlessly pursued profit at the expense of vulnerable patients and played a critical role in starting and fueling the opioid epidemic. While no amount of money will ever fully repair the damage they caused, this massive influx of funds will bring resources to communities in need so that we can heal.”
Most recognize the Sackler family’s name from multiple films and television series, including Dopesick and Painkiller.
Learn where the Sacklers’ net worths stand now and more about them below.
My office is making Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family pay up to $7.4 billion for their roles in fueling the opioid crisis.
This money will be used to fund opioid treatment and prevention programs nationwide, and the Sackler family's control over Purdue will end. pic.twitter.com/95iVTrGfSr
— NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) January 23, 2025
Who Are the Sacklers?
The heads of Purdue Pharma, at least at one point in time, included former CEO Raymond Sackler, former President Richard Sackler, former Co-Chair Mortimer Sackler and Arthur Sackler Sr.
How Much Money Was the Sackler Family Worth Before?
In 2015, Forbes reported that Raymond, the highest-earning member of the Sackler family, was worth around $13 billion. He died in 2017.
What Is the Sackler Family’s Net Worth Now?
The Sackler family’s combined net worth reached more than $10.8 billion in late 2024, according to multiple outlets.
Is Purdue Pharma Still in Business?
According to CBS News, Purdue Pharma will be left bankrupt from the 2025 settlement. According to Purdue’s website, the company dedicated itself to a “restructure” over the past few years. A statement at the top of its page vowed that Purdue was operating “fully” and “working to introduce new medicines that will help save and improve lives.”
“Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy case was heard before the Supreme Court of the United States in December 2023. In June 2024, the Court voted 5-4 against third-party releases contained in the Plan of Reorganization,” Purdue’s website indicates. “The decision does nothing to deter us from the twin goals of using settlement dollars for opioid abatement and turning the company into an engine for good. Purdue continues to work tirelessly with creditors to reach a new settlement that delivers billions of dollars of value for opioid abatement and allows the Company to emerge from bankruptcy as a company with a public-minded mission. The Supreme Court’s decision does not affect Purdue’s operational stability or our ability to produce medications safely and effectively. We continue to operate fully, honoring our existing relationships and meeting our obligations to our partners and customers. The company will continue serving patients who rely on our medicines, and working to introduce new medicines that will help save and improve lives.”
According to the New York AG, the Sacklers, as of 2025, “no longer have control of Purdue will never be allowed to sell opioids in the United States again.”
