Former Purdue Pharma chair denies responsibility for US opioid crisis

Richard Sackler, 76, says in bankruptcy court he, his family and company are not responsible for epidemic

The former president and board chair of Purdue Pharma told a court Wednesday that he, his family and the company are not responsible for the opioid crisis in the United States.

Richard Sackler, a member of the family who owns the company, was asked whether each bears responsibility during a federal bankruptcy hearing in White Plains, New York, over whether a judge should accept the OxyContin maker's plan to settle thousands of lawsuits.