The criminal prosecution of Purdue Pharma L.P. generated a blockbuster $600 million global settlement resolving government and private claims rooted in the company’s unlawful promotion of the painkiller OxyContin as a safer, less addictive alternative to other drugs.
Former Purdue Chief Executive Officer Michael Friedman, General Counsel Howard Udell and medical director Paul Goldenheim agreed in separate deals to give up $34.5 million in profits and to serve three years of probation. But each lost something more: effectively, the ability to work in the pharmaceutical and health care industries.
