OxyContin Maker Sackler Family Sued by 500 Cities, Shunned by Tate Galleries

[babylonsister]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/opioid-oxycontin-maker-sackler-family-sued-by-500-cities-shunned-by-tate-galleries?ref=home


OxyContin Maker Sackler Family Sued by 500 Cities, Shunned by Tate Galleries
REUTERS/George Frey

Members of the Sackler family, who owns opioid OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma, are now being sued by a conglomerate of more than 500 cities, counties and Native American tribes, The Guardian reports. The plaintiffs include people in 26 U.S. states who blame Purdue for creating “the worst drug crisis in American history.” The lawsuit, which was filed in the Southern District of New York, says the Sackler family broke laws to “enrich themselves to the tune of billions of dollars, while hundreds of thousands of Americans died.” The Tate Gallery in London on Thursday also announced it would no longer be taking donations from the billionaire family, the BBC reports, days after Britain’s National Portrait Gallery also severed ties. “In the present circumstances, we do not think it right to seek or accept further donations from the Sacklers,” the Tate said in a statement.

[ck4829]

1. The real drug lords

[Socal31]

2. I'm for complete legalization.

That doesn't mesh with suing the source.

That being said, Big Pharma shouldn't be sued for producing opiates. They should be sued for conspiracy to keep safer alternatives (MJ) on the draconian Schedule I, thereby removing the choice from the consumer.

[babylonsister]

7. They deserve to be sued and should be thrown in jail imo...

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211677533

Sackler Family Led Effort to Mislead Public About OxyContin, Opioids, Emails Show

snip//

An email from 2001 shows that, when evidence of growing abuse of the painkiller became clear, former company President Richard Sackler instructed executives to try to push blame onto people who had become addicted. “We have to hammer on abusers in every way possible... They are the culprits and the problem. They are reckless criminals,” he wrote.

[FakeNoose]

12. Well all those doctors writing scripts, they deserve some of the liability too

I mean yeah, the doctors were lied to in the beginning. But this has been going on for way too long, people dying or OD-ing regularly and nobody put a stop to this? No doctors said wait a minute, something's not right here? The original criminals are definitely the manufacturer, but all those doctors who kept writing scripts were the enablers. Many took bribes of one kind or another, then looked the other way while people were dying.

[babylonsister]

15. I agree with you.

I have met docs out there whose sole purpose is to push pain killers; they don't give a damn what damage they're doing.

[cstanleytech]

18. I would rather say some were bribed as we really do not know how many were bribed and

lied to and did the prescriptions for their patients based upon the fact that their patients were experiencing pain.
My mother would have been a perfect example of the pain part because she had an extremely degenerative back and she was a constantly in pain so she was on some oxy.
To prevent an overdose though since it was a narcotic we did take some precautions such as making sure she did not have access to the medication at all and we carefully spaced her medication apart.

[FakeNoose]

27. I'm sorry for your mom's difficulties

... but I'm saying that the manufacturer consciously lied when they said the Oxycontin pills weren't habit-forming. At first the doctors believed it, but how could that have continued after the doctors saw how many of their patients got hooked?

Not every family was as careful as yours either. I'm sure you've read the stories of how some patients had their pain pills stolen by family members or care-givers etc.

[ck4829]

34. So am I, but it won't happen or be pleasant with the Sackler clan at the helm of drug policy

[duforsure]

3. The Congressional members who were bought off to push for the approval of it

Needs to be investigated for their part in it getting its approval, to be mass promoted to the public when they knew its addiction problems would be a danger to the public, but they were after profits from doing this to people. Where are those in Congress being held accountable for this, and the agencies that approved this ?

[Celerity]

8. [phone]

[Duppers]

11. Government for hire. nt

[ck4829]

22. Yep

[democratisphere]

4. Predator wealthiest white collar criminals continuing to do their destruction.

[Sherman A1]

5. Good

May their lives be filled with lawyers for a very long time.

[ck4829]

25. Agreed

[rickyhall]

6. Do to them what the Laws does to any other homicidal drug pusher.

[Celerity]

9. Give him the El Chapo treatment

[ck4829]

23. +1

[Oppaloopa]

10. No this is a good drug when not abused.

This is the doctors fault no one else for writing such large and unnecessary prescriptions. Now in my state Florida since they are being sued. All of a sudden scripts are only 3 days worth with no renews. Why didn't they do this before?

[oldsoftie]

16. I agree. I know 2 people who deal with excruciating pain & this is the only think that works.

And i've known since the early 2000s that it was a potent drug & could be dangerous. How could anyone GETTING it not know that

[oasis]

13. Hopefully this story gets a ton of exposure. Thanks for posting.

[ck4829]

24. Seconded

[NNadir]

14. Now if the Met can follow the Tate, art would be relieved...

...of a pretty powerful ethical stain.

[catbyte]

17. I'm probably going to get hammered for this, but while I agree that they should be punished for

claiming how benign Oxycontin was and it shouldn't have been prescribed for non-chronic pain, that drug allowed me to keep working full time for almost 20 years. It was a true lifesaver for me and my family. I'm no longer on it because I don't need as much pain relief now that I'm retired, but it gave me my life back, and I'm sure there are millions of others that it's helped, too.

I had absolutely no problems tapering down and off of it. I hate to see Oxycontin portrayed as nothing but this "demon drug" when it saved me.

[BobMcWan]

21. No hammer here

I have a good friend who also benefits from what I think is a derivative of Oxycontin. Very happy to hear it worked for you, and for many others.
What I object to is the sales pitch Purdue Pharma continued after they knew Oxycontin prescriptions were way beyond the pale of normal. I believe businesses have a responsibility to look at how they are making money, especially when it suddenly becomes a deluge of cash. For instance, when tracking prescription numbers indicate irregularities like 500 pills for every man, woman and child in any given area for a month. (an exaggeration, I hope, but I recall reading stories along that line)
Or, to take another industry, I believe bankers, mortgage originators, ratings agencies and investment firms had (and continue to have) a responsibility to watch where they are making their money and (here comes a real kicker) IF they are suddenly loading wheelbarrows of cash, they need to investigate if this is happening in an ethical manner.

[CountAllVotes]

28. It is wrong to punish pain patients

I know of people that have been using this MEDICATION RESPONSIBLY for many many years. And no, they have not asked for larger doses.

Some absolutely require these types of medication to remain ambulatory & functional. Otherwise, they end up bedridden and perhaps suicidal.

This is just another way to promote the opiate hysteria that is now the focus of the CDC & FDA.

I find it to be disgusting at best.

This sets a dangerous precedent that will harm chronic pain patients.

I wonder if they thought of this yet?

[oldsoftie]

19. Oxycontin is a small part of the addiction problem. Most deaths are caused by fake Fentynal

imported from china thru Mexico. Regular pills laced with Fentynal is where a lot of the deaths are coming from.
Dont take away a needed option for so many just because crooks make bad versions of it and others have an addiction problem.
One of my friends can only function with a combo of LEGAL Fentanyl and Oxycontin. Its not fair to him and others like him to take away his treatment. And believe me, he has to jump thru a LOT of hoops to continue to get his medicine

[CountAllVotes]

29. +1,000 !!

n/t

[BobMcWan]

20. Forgive me for injecting ideology here..

but I wrote the following letter to the editor a while back and, well, it never got printed. I knew it was a long shot but I had to take it. Thanks for the opportunity to share:

Now that Bernie Sanders has announced his run for president, we can expect even more
observations and proclamations about socialism from our current president, i.e. "socialism = Venezuela."
I would like to offer my own simplification comparing capitalism with socialism. Sorry to
say it won't fit on bumper sticker, but, here goes: "socialism = Jonas Salk, and capitalism =
the Sackler family."
Jonas Salk, as many of us know, was instrumental in the development of the polio vaccine that
has made that disease something we learn about in history books and from older friends or relatives.
He is also remembered for never patenting the vaccine because he wanted to see his work benefit as
many lives as possible.
The Sackler family is perhaps less well known, but their legacy continues to ravage our nation, and
the world. The Sacklers own Purdue Pharma. Purdue Pharma is the company that developed Oxycontin.
I will avoid simplification and note that not all opioid deaths are directly related to Oxycontin,
but the fact is since 1999 approximately 200,000 Americans have perished in an epidemic triggered
by a patented drug.
Jonas Salk did not die a poor man, but by his actions he did forfeit millions.
The Sackler family is on the Forbes 500 list with a net worth of $13 billion.
There is more to life than making as much money as possible; that is what socialism means to me.

[Gothmog]

26. Sackler family are all scum

From Sam Bee

[dalton99a]

30. There is so much blood on their hands.

Greedy murderous scum

[Hekate]

31. I hope the Sackler Family of Drug Pushers becomes social pariahs. What evil evil deeds. nt

[oasis]

32. Kick

[elias7]

33. To be fair, it is heroin laced with fentanyl and carfentanyl that caused the spike in deaths

OxyContin is quite useful: I took it for a few days after hip surgery. Been around for years. Opiates have their place in therapeutics and very few get addicted. Needs to be prudently prescribed and certainly not over prescribed.

Pharma is greedy and should be accountable for that, but they are not responsible for the thousands of ODs we’re seeing. Heroin laced with fentanyl and the incredibly potent carfentanyl in uncontrolled quantities have caused epidemic unintentional overdoses. Fentanyl is more rapidly addictive, hence its use by dealers, unless there is a plot to kill opiate users...

[Gothmog]

35. A museum does not want this family's blood money

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