Empire of Pain

Buchzusammenfassung

Patrick Radden Keefe is an award winning journalist and staff writer at The New Yorker. In 2014 he received the National Magazine Award for Feature Writing. He has written several books, including the previous bestseller Say Nothing (2018).

Arthur Sackler’s death in 1987 set off a complex battle over his estate, exacerbated by the tangled business dealings of the Sackler brothers. His heirs eventually sold their stake in Purdue Frederick, creating a rift among the three families. By 1990, the next generation joined the board of Purdue Pharma, which soon found success with MS Contin, a time-release morphine pill. However, the looming expiration of its patent led to the development of OxyContin, spearheaded by Richard Sackler. A confidential 1994 memo detailed plans to market the drug for general pain management, despite concerns about its potency and potential for abuse. Purdue dismissed early warnings of misuse, promoting the concept of "pseudo-addiction" and shifting blame onto abusers. The company’s aggressive marketing, supported by dubious claims and financial backing of advocacy groups, drove OxyContin’s sales to over $1 billion annually by 2000. Meanwhile, Purdue faced mounting legal scrutiny, culminating in a 2007 guilty plea and a $600 million fine, though no Sackler family members were charged. The Sacklers’ vast wealth and philanthropic efforts, including naming rights at prestigious institutions, stood in stark contrast to their secretive business practices and the growing public backlash against their role in the opioid crisis.

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