OxyContin maker Purdue reaches US$270 million settlement in US opioid case
- Out-of-court settlement in the first major test of who will pay for more than two decades of death and addiction sparked by prescription opioids
- Purdue Pharma is facing hundreds of lawsuits in the US over claims that OxyContin causes addiction
Purdue Pharma, accused of helping fuel the US opioid addiction epidemic with its painkiller OxyContin, has reached a US$270 million settlement in a key lawsuit brought by the state of Oklahoma.
The settlement on Tuesday was the first of its kind to address the national addiction crisis that kills 130 Americans a day.
The bulk of the money will go toward establishing an addiction treatment and research centre at Oklahoma State University, Purdue said.
The drug manufacturer also agreed to not promote or market opioids in the state, in what was a “non-negotiable part” of the deal, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said.
“The addiction crisis facing our state and the nation is a clear and present danger, but we’re doing something about it today,” Hunter told a news conference.
“Today’s agreement is only the first step in our ultimate goal of ending this nightmarish epidemic,” he said.