AG Hunter Announces $270 Million Settlement with Purdue Pharma

TULSA, Okla. – Attorney General Mike Hunter and Oklahoma State University leaders today announced a settlement in the opioid legal action against Purdue Pharma. The settlement will establish a nearly $200 million endowment at the Oklahoma State University’s Center for Wellness and Recovery, which will go toward treating the ongoing addiction epidemic nationwide.

The trial against Johnson & Johnson, Teva and the other defendants named in the state’s lawsuit remains on track for May 28.

“The addiction crisis facing our state and nation is a clear and present danger,” Attorney General Hunter said. “Last year alone, out of the more than 3,000 Oklahomans admitted to the hospital for a non-fatal overdose, 80 percent involved a prescription opioid medication. Additionally, nearly 50 percent of Oklahomans who died from a drug overdose in 2018 were attributed to a pharmaceutical drug. Deploying the money from this settlement immediately allows us to decisively treat addiction illness and save lives.

“OSU’s Center for Wellness and Recovery is already a national leader in studying and treating addiction as a brain disease and finding innovative ways to cure it. This endowment will allow the university to expand its footprint to a national level to combat the crisis. I have full faith and confidence in Dr. Kayse Shrum and her team to lead this initiative.

“This agreement is only the first step in our ultimate goal of ending this nightmarish epidemic. In the coming weeks, the team and I will continue preparing for the trial 24/7, where we intend to hold the other defendants in this case accountable for their role in creating the worst public health crisis our state and nation has ever seen.”

Launched in November 2017, the OSU Center for Wellness and Recovery is dedicated to providing comprehensive care for those suffering from addiction while advancing treatment through education, research and policy. In 2018, as part of the Center for Wellness and Recovery, OSU launched the Addiction Medicine Clinic, which employs the state’s first certified academic addiction physicians. The clinic offers individualized, evidence-based substance use disorder treatment —including medication-assisted treatment when appropriate—and mental health services to adults.

“The mission of Oklahoma State University’s Center for Wellness and Recovery is to save lives and rescue those who are struggling with addiction,” said OSU Center for Health Sciences President Dr. Kayse Shrum. “This endowment will allow us to assist communities in Oklahoma and across the country that have been ravaged by the opioid epidemic with innovative approaches to addressing this health crisis. Now we will have the resources to create a place where people can come together to engage in meaningful initiatives to prevent, treat and eradicate this horrible disease.

As part of the settlement $12.5 million will go towards addressing and abating the opioid epidemic’s effects in Oklahoma’s cities and counties. Purdue will also make a $60 million payment to offset all litigation costs up to this point. Finally, Purdue will not promote opioids in Oklahoma, including employing or contracting with sales representatives to health care providers in Oklahoma.

“We appreciate that Purdue Pharma and its owners chose to work constructively with us to resolve this litigation in a way that will bring to life a new and unique national center with the goal of creating breakthrough innovations in the prevention and treatment of addiction,” Attorney General Hunter said.