Purdue Pharma settles Oklahoma opioid lawsuit for $270 million

Purdue Pharma has reached a settlement with the state of Oklahoma over claims the maker of the painkiller OxyContin helped fuel an opioid epidemic that killed thousands of residents in the state.

The pharmaceutical company, based in Stamford, Connecticut, and owned by the Sackler family, will pay $270 million to resolve the lawsuit, Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter said Tuesday. Of that amount, nearly $200 million will go toward establishing the National Center for Addiction Studies and Treatment at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa, while local governments will get $12.5 million. Twenty million dollars will be set aside for addiction treatment medication, and the remaining $60 million will pay for the state's litigation costs to date.

"The addiction crisis facing our state and nation is a clear and present danger, but we're doing something about it today," Hunter said.

More