Source: The New Yorker
Summary and Analysis:
The Sackler family, who many blame for fueling the deadly opioid crisis in the United States, is coming out with a drug to combat opioid addiction.
Background: Purdue Pharma is a privately-owned pharmacy company that has been owned and operated by the Sackler family for decades. The company, which was worth 3 billion dollars in 2017, built its fortune by selling highly-addictive opioids, specifically OxyContin. "Purdue launched OxyContin with a marketing campaign that attempted to ... change the prescribing habits of doctors," wrote the New Yorker. "Purdue launched a multifaceted campaign that misinformed the medical community about the risks [of their drugs]."
Because of misleading advertisements and marketing, Purdue and its executives were forced to pay over 630 million dollars in 2007. Since then, they have faced multiple lawsuits.
Update: According to Newsweek, over 63, 000 people died of drug overdose in 2016, almost 70 percent of these deaths being opioid-related. Today's opioid crisis is undeniably tied to doctors over-prescribing highly-addictive drugs, something that Purdue Pharma encouraged. In the past few days, the Sackler name has been in the news for a variety of reasons: it was uncovered that they owned a second pharmaceutical company, one that, combined with Purdue, totals to 14.4 million opioid prescriptions in 2016, according to the Financial Times. Also, Purdue is now being sued by Colorado's attorney general for its "significant role in causing the opioid epidemic."
But that's not the biggest news. Sackler, who owns Purdue, recently patented a mild opiate that supposedly eases the symptoms of opioid addiction and makes it harder for them to be smuggled and delt.
While some may be celebrating a possible cure for opioid addiction, many speculate the intentions of the Sackler-owned company. Said the Chicago Tribune, "Some are expressing outrage that the Sacklers, who have in essence profited from opioid addictions, may soon be profiting from the antidote."
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