Purdue Pharma LP and members of the wealthy Sackler family that own the OxyContin maker have reached a $270 million settlement to resolve a lawsuit by the state of Oklahoma accusing the company of helping fuel an opioid abuse epidemic.
The settlement with Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter is the first to result from a wave of recent lawsuits accusing Purdue of deceptively marketing painkillers. The deal came after Purdue lost a bid to delay a May 28 trial in the case, the first to be scheduled of around 2,000 lawsuits nationally.