Purdue Pharma, maker of the drug OxyContin, has sought bankruptcy protection in an American court. Purdue’s board of directors met Sunday night to approve the expected bankruptcy request. The company is hoping to restructure itself in an effort to settle all the legal claims against it. Local and state governments, as well as private individuals, have brought legal action against Purdue Pharma. They claim it aggressively marketed dangerous painkillers that helped fuel the opioid crisis in the United States. Government studies have shown that nearly 400,000 people died from opioid use between 1999 and 2017.