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OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma reaches $270 million settlement with Oklahoma in historic opioid lawsuit

The New York Daily News - 3/27/2019

March 26--Purdue Pharma has agreed to settle a historic lawsuit brought by the Oklahoma state attorney general, which accuses the OxyContin maker and a dozen other drug manufacturers of fueling the deadly opioid crisis.

A person familiar with the situation told Reuters the Sackler family, which owns the company, has agreed to pay $270 million to resolve the lawsuit.

Oklahoma in 2017 sued 13 opioid manufacturers, alleging they engaged in deceptive marketing practices over the past decade, which resulted in thousands of addictions, overdoses and deaths. Attorney General Mike Hunter has contended the companies wrongfully led the public to believe opioids were safe for longer-term use.

Prescription opioids were a factor in a record 48,000 deaths across the U.S. in 2017, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The drug makers have denied the allegations against them and have maintained their marketing was appropriate.

The settlement comes after the Supreme Court on Monday denied a request from drug makers to postpone the start of the trial, which would be the first at a state level with suits taking aim at the manufacturers for their part in the opioid epidemic.

The remaining 12 other companies listed in the lawsuits -- including Johnson & Johnson, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Allergan -- are still heading for trial, which is scheduled for May 28.

The attorney general's office on Tuesday announced Hunter would hold a press conference that will include an "announcement of a settlement agreement with Purdue Pharma."

Purdue, which first introduced OxyContin more than 20 years ago with an aggressive marketing scheme aimed at doctors, face similar claims in several other courts, though Tuesday's announcement marks the first major settlement and could help set the standard for future outcomes.

Thirty-six other states have brought similar cases against Purdue and other drug makers, though Oklahoma is scheduled to be the first set for trial.

With News Wire Services

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