Victims of the U.S. opioid crisis are getting a rare chance to share their stories and air grievances directly to members of the Sackler family that own Purdue Pharma LP, the maker of OxyContin.

Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy judge has set aside time on Thursday for people who say they were hurt by the drug to speak, via video-conference, about the impact of the painkiller on their lives. The court-appointed mediator who recommended the session also requested that at least two Sackler family members be present for the hearing.

It's likely the first time victims of the opioid crisis have had the chance to speak directly to members of the Sackler family. Members of the family have rarely spoken publicly since Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy in 2019, though some testified during a trial over its settlement and to a congressional committee.

Nearly 500,000 Americans died from drug overdoses between 1999 and 2019 as part of the opioid epidemic. The drugs probably contributed to an unprecedented decline in U.S. life expectancy from 2015 to 2017. Opioids also appear to have hit labor markets, potentially accounting for around 43% of the decline in men's labor force participation between 1999 and 2015, according to an analysis by late economist Alan Krueger.

On Thursday, speakers are likely to make "unbelievably searing, difficult" statements, Marshall Huebner, an attorney for Purdue, said in a related hearing the day before. He reminded listeners that audio and video recordings of the proceedings are prohibited. An attorney for Purdue creditors called the session "historic" and "important."

The court-appointed mediator requested that no member of the Sackler family be allowed to respond to comments made by victims during the hearing. It's slated to begin at 10 a.m. in New York.

A representative for descendants of the late Mortimer Sackler declined to comment on Wednesday, while representatives for the late Raymond Sackler's wing of the family didn't respond to an inquiry.

In a joint statement made last week under the terms of the settlement, they said they "sincerely regret that OxyContin, a prescription medicine that continues to help people suffering from chronic pain, unexpectedly became part of an opioid crisis that has brought grief and loss to far too many families and communities."

Jeremy Hill reports for Bloomberg News.

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