PURDUE Pharma, accused of helping fuel an opioid addiction epidemic with its drug OxyContin, has reached a settlement of a key lawsuit brought by the state of Oklahoma, U.S. media reported Tuesday.

The reported settlement was the first of its kind to address the addiction crisis across the country that kills 130 Americans a day.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Purdue and its owners have agreed to pay US$270 million.

Purdue is facing hundreds of lawsuits in the United States over claims that OxyContin causes addiction. The Oklahoma lawsuit was the first to go to trial, which was scheduled to begin later this week.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by opioid manufacturers to delay the trial. Purdue was the only one to reportedly settle.

Mike Hunter, the state’s attorney general, last month said his office had obtained confidential documents showing Purdue launched a “disinformation campaign” to cover up the epidemic.

“These documents are damning evidence showing Purdue executives were more interested in spreading propaganda than stopping the death toll from rising and fixing the problem they created,” Hunter said in a statement. (SD-Agencies)