Supreme Court blocks settlement of OxyContin victims families

The has blocked a nationwide settlement that would have seen the families of OxyContin victims handed billions - after ruling the payout would have shielded members of the Sackler family who own drug maker Purdue Pharma.

After deliberating for more than six months, the justices in a 5-4 vote blocked an agreement hammered out with state and local governments and victims.

The decision reversed a ruling that had upheld the plan to give Purdue's owners immunity in exchange for paying up to $6 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits accusing the company of unlawful misleading marketing of OxyContin, a powerful pain medication introduced in 1996.

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