Patrick Radden Keefe s new book, Empire of Pain, traces the roots of the opioid crisis through the Sackler family.
Courtesy Philip Montgomery
The family behind the OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma was already under intense legal and public scrutiny when they learned in 2019 that comedian John Oliver was planning to do a segment about them on his show, “Last Week Tonight.” But being the target of a social commentary like Oliver’s struck a chord for at least one member of the Sackler family.
“This is my son’s favorite show,” Jacqueline Sackler wrote in an email at the time. “He watches it every week with all of his friends. This situation is destroying our work, our friendships, our reputation, and our ability to function in society. And worse, it dooms my children. How is my son supposed to apply to high school in September?”
Some members of Sackler family under fire over ties to opioids cbsnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbsnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Last modified on Fri 9 Apr 2021 14.27 EDT
By the time a class-action lawyer asked Kathe Sackler whether her family’s firm, Purdue Pharma, and its prescription painkiller OxyContin bore any responsibility for the US opioid crisis, a shocking 450,000 Americans had died of opioid-related overdoses in the 23 years since the pills hit the market.
But Sackler, after some hedging and deflecting, asserted not only that the family had nothing to be ashamed of or apologize for but that she deserved credit for coming up with “the idea” of OxyContin, which was a “very good medicine”, according to a forthcoming book by the journalist and author Patrick Radden Keefe.
Kathe Sackler proud of OxyContin despite US opioids deaths, book says msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.