OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma set to dissolve after judge approves its criminal sentence

A federal judge delivered a criminal sentence against OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma on Tuesday, resolving the U.S. Department of Justice investigation and clearing the final hurdle for the company’s dissolution.

U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo called the scheme “a purposeful, intentional and sophisticated crime scheme” after hearing hours of victim impact statements from people who lost loved ones or battled addiction in the epidemic linked to more than 900,000 U.S. deaths since 1999.

Purdue admitted it lacked an effective program to stop its powerful prescription painkillers from reaching the black market, despite telling the DEA otherwise.