Purdue Settles Oklahoma Opioid Suit for $270 Million

Purdue and its owners have agreed to pay $270 million to settle a lawsuit bought by Oklahoma officials, avoiding what would have been the first jury trial in a nationwide opioid crisis that may end up costing drugmakers billions.

The Sackler family and its foundation, along with Purdue, were named by Oklahoma’s attorney general as defendants in an alleged scheme to profit from their potent opioid OxyContin despite knowing how addictive and deadly it was. The company, which has publicly mulled bankruptcy as an escape hatch, did not admit any wrongdoing.

Nearly $200 million of the settlement will go to Oklahoma State University for an addiction treatment and research center, state AG Mike Hunter said in announcing what he called “a historic settlement.”