US Supreme Court rejects nationwide opioid settlement with OxyContin maker

The US Supreme Court has rejected a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma on Thursday (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)

The US Supreme Court has rejected a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would have shielded members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids but would have provided billions of dollars to combat the opioid epidemic.

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