Federal judge approves opioid settlement for Purdue Pharma

Deal requires Sackler family members who own company to contribute up to $7bn over 15 years

A federal bankruptcy court judge on Tuesday formally approved OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma's plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the harms of opioids.

The deal approved by US bankruptcy Judge Sean Lane requires members of the Sackler family who own the company to contribute up to $7bn over 15 years. Most of the money is to go to government entities to fight the opioid crisis that has been linked to 900,000 deaths in the US since 1999.