It would go on to develop MS Contin – morphine with time-release properties – and Ox圜ontin. It finds its origin story in Arthur Sackler, who in 1952 arranges for his brothers to purchase Purdue Frederick, a medical company that sold staples like ear wax remover and laxatives. In his new book, Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty, journalist and author Patrick Radden Keefe paints a devastating portrait of the secretive family who, over three generations, ruthlessly pursued profit over concern for human life. Even as they raked in billions – their wealth is estimated at $13bn – they were celebrated for their philanthropy, donating huge sums to museums and cultural institutions that named buildings and rooms after them: the Serpentine Sackler Gallery in London the Sackler Wing at The Louvre in Paris. While public anger against Ox圜ontin’s manufacturer, Purdue Pharma, built quickly, for a long time the identity of the owners of the privately held company, the Sackler family, was not well known. According to the CDC nearly 500,000 Americans have died from overdoses related to it and other opioids. Despite only entering the market in 1996, the highly addictive painkiller has become the focus of a prescription drug epidemic. Ox圜ontin is one of the most notorious medicines in US history.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |