“Painkiller” is a Netflix series that details the opioid crisis in America and the company at the center of it, Purdue Pharma. But what happened to the chief executive, Richard Sackler, and where is he now?
Similar to Hulu and HBO’s dramatization of the Candy Montgomery case, two reruns of the Purdue Pharma scandal and the company’s role in the opioid crisis that has claimed thousands of lives in the United States was done.
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In 2021, Hulu will launch the show Dopesick. Michael Keaton and Kaitlyn Dever star as ordinary people whose lives are disrupted by the city of Purdue’s powerful OxyContin marketing tactics. Meanwhile, Michael Stuhlbarg played the real-life role of the villainous Richard Sackler. Mr. Sackler was a billionaire businessman and chairman of Purdue Pharma.
But now it’s Netflix’s turn. The streamer’s new series “Painkiller,” starring Matthew Broderick as Sackler’s successor, has sparked renewed interest in the heartbreaking case. It left many wondering: what happened to the real Richard Sackler after the events of Painkiller, and where is he now?
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Painkillers: Where is Richard Sackler Now?
Richard Sackler, 78, sold his $30 million home in 2018 and is widely reported to be living in a $1.7 million home in Boca Raton, Florida. Richard is at the center of an ongoing bankruptcy with the surviving Sackler family. Incident involving Purdue Pharma.
Richard and the Sackler family behind the city of Purdue, which manufactured and marketed the highly addictive drug OxyContin as an addictive pain reliever in the 1990s, have collectively filed thousands of lawsuits over their role in the opioid crisis. facing. These are from individuals, states and local governments who allege that Purdue’s marketing practices contributed to rampant addiction and death.
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Dr. Richard Sackler during deposition in 2015
Throughout its heyday, OxyContin earned the Sackler family billions of dollars. Back in September 2019, the city of Purdue filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy as part of a framework to resolve the numerous lawsuits it faced. The proposed settlement included Sacklers relinquishing control of the company and making it a public trust company.
However, the case is still ongoing and has complications. In June of this year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in New York ruled that Sackler, including Richard, should pay $6 billion, more than half of its estimated assets, to help fight the opioid epidemic. Acknowledged. .
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“The Sackler family believes implementation of this long-awaited resolution is critical to providing significant resources to people and communities in need,” the family said in a statement.
However, the deal would move both companies forward in bankruptcy proceedings and exempt them from future civil lawsuits involving OxyContin, which critics argued would benefit the Sackler family in the long run.
Given these factors, the Supreme Court blocked and stayed the $6 billion settlement this week, instead scheduling a hearing that is set to begin in December. Ultimately, the ruling will focus on whether Sacklers can use the Purdue bankruptcy lawsuit to get immunity from all future lawsuits related to its conduct that caused societal harm.
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No doubt many of the families of those victimized by OxyContin and the opioid crisis did not want Richard Sackler and his relatives to be protected in such a substantive way, even if he was still living an affluent life. Nor is he happy to be able to send, even if it means a reduction from his former fortune.
Purdue Pharma History: Who Are the Sackler Family?
Richard is a member of America’s prominent Sackler family, known for his philanthropy, but he is also known for his ownership and involvement in Purdue Pharma, a pharmaceutical company notorious for manufacturing and marketing the highly addictive pain reliever OxyContin.
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As detailed in Netflix’s Painkiller, the family first entered the pharmaceutical industry through three brothers, Arthur, Mortimer and Raymond Sackler, who bought a small company called Purdue Frederick in the 1950s. Over the decades, under the ownership and direction of the Sackler family, the company grew and evolved, eventually becoming Purdue Pharma.
creative commonsArthur Sackler, one of the three patriarchs of the controversial Sackler Pharmaceutical dynasty
Raymond’s son, Richard, has held various positions with the company over the years, including vice president, senior vice president and president. But he is best known for being the driving force behind the development and marketing of OxyContin, spreading the message that the pain reliever is non-addictive, when in fact the opposite is true.
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Although advertised as a slow-release formulation with low abuse potential, it soon became apparent that OxyContin was easily abused and could lead to addiction, overdose, and death. The drug’s launch and subsequent publicity marked an important period of economic growth for the city of Purdue.
Critics argue that Purdue Pharma, under the leadership of the Sackler family, played a key role in the opioid epidemic in the United States through its aggressive marketing techniques and downplaying the addiction risks associated with OxyContin. ing. Emails and other internal documents exposed through the lawsuit suggest Richard was keenly aware of the painkiller’s abuse potential, but was adamant about promoting its sale.
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In a now infamous 2001 email, Mr. Sackler said the company needed to “punish abusers in every way possible” in response to reports of OxyContin abuse. “They are the culprits and the problem.
As discussed, Purdue and Sacklers face thousands of lawsuits over their role in the opioid crisis. In 2007, Purdue Frederick, an affiliate of Purdue Pharma, pleaded guilty to misleading the public about the addictive dangers and abuse potential of OxyContin.
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The company agreed to pay $600 million in fines and other payments, one of the largest pharmaceutical settlements in U.S. history at the time. In this case, however, the Sackler family was not personally held accountable, causing widespread outrage.
Richard and the Sackler family stayed largely out of the public eye during the dispute. Many institutions that once received Sackler charities, such as museums and universities, have either distanced themselves from their families or come under external pressure to do so.
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By telling the true story of the Sackler family and what was going on behind the scenes, Dopsick and the Painkiller have provided some form of justice to many victims and raised awareness of their perpetrators, as well as their We explored the devastating impact the act had on communities across America.
Painkiller is currently streaming on Netflix. You can read more about the series here, including what happened to Glenn, and if season 2 is in the works here. You can check out the cast here. More Netflix coverage can be found below.
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