OxyContin maker Purdue agrees to provide research data

OKLAHOMA CITY – The maker of the powerful painkiller OxyContin has agreed to provide access to proprietary research and other data to researchers at Oklahoma State University to help them find causes and treatments for drug addiction.

Stamford, Connecticut-based Purdue Pharma announced the agreement Thursday in a joint statement with the university.

Purdue said it will provide Oklahoma State’s new National Center for Wellness & Recovery access to “research molecules and certain associated data” that will help with research into addiction.

The company and its controlling family, the Sacklers, agreed earlier this year to pay Oklahoma $270 million to settle allegations they helped create the nation’s deadly opioid crisis with their aggressive marketing campaign.

That money is being used to establish the research centre at Oklahoma State.