OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma pleads guilty to criminal charges for role in opioid crisis

Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, pleaded guilty to criminal charges that the company helped drive the opioid crisis that has killed more than 450,000 people.

In a virtual hearing before U.S. District Judge Madeline Cox Arleo in New Jersey, the pharmaceutical company pleaded guilty to bribing healthcare providers to entice them to keep prescribing the opioid regardless of medical necessity. Purdue also admitted to failing to provide the Drug Enforcement Administration with accurate information about the risk of abuse that comes with its popular drug.

Tuesday’s guilty pleas are...