Joe Rice, a negotiator for local governments that are suing Purdue, said, “Purdue is doing everything they can to get this deal done in this administration. In the federal settlement, the company agreed to plead guilty to felony charges of defrauding federal health agencies and violating anti-kickback laws. Purdue also pleaded guilty to paying illegal kickbacks to doctors and to an electronic health records company, Practice Fusion. Those prescriptions were often paid for by federal health care programs like Medicare and Medicaid. Mr. Miller, the Purdue chairman, said that the resolution of the Justice Department’s charges was an essential step in the company’s bankruptcy restructuring.

Source: New York Times October 21, 2020 15:05 UTC