OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and members of the wealthy Sackler family that own the company have reached a $US270 million ($A378 million) settlement to resolve a lawsuit brought by the US state of Oklahoma accusing the drug-maker of fuelling an opioid abuse epidemic.
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The settlement with Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, unveiled on Tuesday, was the first to result from a wave of recent lawsuits accusing Purdue of deceptively marketing painkillers that eventually helped create a deadly crisis sweeping the US.
Hunter's 2017 lawsuit was set to go to a jury in May in what would have been the first trial to result from roughly 2000 lawsuits filed in federal and state courts nationwide against Purdue and other drug-makers.
Hunter accused Purdue, Johnson & Johnson and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries of deceptive marketing that played down the risks of addiction associated with opioid pain drugs while overstating their benefits, contributing to an epidemic.
Opioids, including prescription painkillers, heroin and fentanyl, were involved in a record 47,600 overdose deaths in 2017 in the US, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The companies deny wrongdoing. Purdue has argued that US Food and Drug Administration-approved labels for its opioids carried warnings about the risk of abuse and misuse associated with them.
Members of the Sackler family in a statement called allegations that they contributed to the opioid crisis "not accurate" and argued that Tuesday's agreement did not represent "a financial model for future settlement discussions".
Purdue chief executive Craig Landau and members of the Sackler family expressed compassion for opioid victims and portrayed the settlement as furthering their commitment to combat the addiction crisis.
Around 1600 lawsuits are consolidated before a federal judge in Ohio, who has pushed for a settlement ahead of the first trial scheduled before him in October.
Purdue will likely attempt to finalise any decisions related to a settlement and a bankruptcy filing before that court date, the source familiar with the company's deliberations said.
Tuesday's settlement covers only Purdue, leaving claims pending against J&J and Israel-based Teva. The deal was announced a day after the Oklahoma Supreme Court rejected an effort by Purdue and its co-defendants to delay the May 28 trial.
Purdue's marketing efforts helped fuel the opioid epidemic and turn OxyContin into a top-selling painkiller that by 2017 had generated an estimated $US35 billion in sales since the product's release in 1996, according to the lawsuit.
The state had been seeking more than $US20 billion in damages, according to court papers.
Under the terms of Tuesday's settlement, Purdue said it will contribute $US102.5 million to help fund an addiction treatment centre at Oklahoma State University, and donate $US20 million worth of medications to support its treatment mission.
The Sacklers, who were not named as defendants in Oklahoma's lawsuit, agreed to contribute $US75 million towards the university centre as well, Purdue said.
Another $US12.5 million will be made available to Oklahoma localities to help address the opioid epidemic in their communities, and another $US60 million will go towards costs and legal fees stemming from the lawsuit, Purdue said.
Lawyers for plaintiffs pursuing similar cases nationally against Purdue and other opioid manufacturers welcomed Tuesday's settlement as a breakthrough that could help secure other deals.
They have often compared the cases against Purdue to widespread lawsuits against the tobacco industry that resulted in a $US246 billion settlement in 1998.
Australian Associated Press
