Podcast Summary: The Sackler Family, Purdue Pharma, and the Lawsuits Threatening Opioid Manufacture

Podcast: The Political Scene | The New Yorker
Host: Dorothy Wickenden
Guest: Patrick Radden Keefe (Staff Writer, The New Yorker)
Date: April 12, 2019
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Overview

This episode takes an in-depth look at Purdue Pharma’s role in fueling the opioid crisis and the ensuing legal, public, and financial fallout for its owners, the Sackler family. Dorothy Wickenden interviews Patrick Radden Keefe, a journalist renowned for his investigation into Purdue and the Sacklers, about aggressive opioid marketing, regulatory failures, lawsuit strategies, and emerging social accountability. The discussion dissects how public awareness and a swell of lawsuits are changing, or failing to change, the calculus for pharmaceutical companies and their philanthropic heirs.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Background: OxyContin, Purdue Pharma, and the Sackler Family

• OxyContin Approval and Opioid Crisis

  • OxyContin approved by the FDA in 1995; since then, around 400,000 Americans have died from opioid overdoses ([01:39]).
  • Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sacklers, aggressively marketed OxyContin, insisting it was safe and minimally addictive.

• Comparison to the Tobacco Industry

  • Mike Moore (former Mississippi Attorney General):
    "They lied about the addictive nature of the opioids. And then they went out and marketed these things and told doctors everywhere, okay, it's safe. And it's created this huge opioid epidemic." ([02:58])
  • Moore suggests, as with tobacco, opioid companies were aware of the risks and responsible for misleading marketing.

Purdue Pharma’s Marketing Campaign and Regulatory Lapses

• Convincing Doctors and Shaping Perceptions ([04:02–06:04])

  • Patrick Radden Keefe:
    "Purdue Pharma... launched a pretty unprecedented marketing blitz in which they persuaded doctors, many of them doctors who ended up on the Purdue payroll, to go out and kind of spread the word."
  • OxyContin’s appeal: controlled-release formulation marketed as a lower-addiction-risk solution, though patients and abusers soon found ways to override this mechanism.

• Downplaying Addiction Risks

  • Sales representatives coached to tell doctors, “addiction is not an issue here. This drug is safe,” often citing faulty research or anecdotal stories ([06:07]).
  • Internal company evidence surfaced about abuse and patient withdrawal symptoms well before crises escalated.

• The FDA’s Role and “Abuse-Deterrent” Claims ([07:18])

  • When patent expiration loomed in 2010, Purdue released a slightly altered, so-called abuse-deterrent version to extend its exclusivity and restrict generics.
  • Keefe notes: “From really the mid-1990s, Purdue maintains there's nothing inherent... that's problematic... Then suddenly in 2010, they say, you know, there is something inherently problematic. And this is why we've released this new version.” ([09:04])

• Cynicism Exposed

  • Host Dorothy Wickenden: “The cynicism is just astonishing. So you had this perfect storm of irresponsibility by the business doctors and regulators.” ([09:36])

The Sackler Family’s Role and Philanthropy

• Family Involvement and Financial Control ([10:49])

  • The family was deeply involved in decisions to promote OxyContin—internal emails and court documents reveal direct engagement.
  • Keefe uncovered how the Sackler name was absent from Purdue’s operations, making it difficult to trace responsibility until lawsuits compelled more transparency.

• Arthur Sackler’s Legacy

  • Arthur Sackler, the eldest brother, pioneered medical advertising, especially direct-to-doctor marketing strategies for drugs like Valium and Librium ([13:29]).
  • Although his heirs sold their Purdue shares before OxyContin, his tactics and innovations set the foundation for the company’s later conduct.

Wave of Lawsuits and Corporate Response

• Number and Nature of Suits ([15:39])

  • Thousands of lawsuits emerged after evidence of misbranding and ongoing harm.
  • Purdue’s typical strategy: settle without trial and seal documents to limit future exposure.

• Mass Action and Settlement Hopes ([16:51])

  • Over 1,500 cases have been bundled together; states like Oklahoma, New York, and Massachusetts are pursuing independent legal action.
  • Keefe is doubtful settlements will reach tobacco litigation scale—“any kind of settlement you get will be completely incommensurate with the damage that's been done.” ([17:12])

• Possible Bankruptcy

  • Purdue reportedly considered bankruptcy to freeze ongoing litigation and shield assets. The NY Attorney General alleged the Sacklers siphoned billions offshore ([18:39–19:34]).

Social and Cultural Impact

• Philanthropy and Public Backlash ([19:49])

  • Major institutions (Guggenheim, Tate, National Portrait Gallery) have stopped accepting Sackler donations, though existing named spaces remain.
  • Artist Nan Goldin’s activism is credited for accelerating institutional distancing—demonstrations and public shaming have raised the reputational costs ([19:49]).

• Redemptive Actions?

  • Purdue’s recent Oklahoma settlement ($260M) earmarks funds to fight the crisis, but Keefe calls it “a drop in the bucket” compared to the crisis's true scale ([21:16]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Corporate Cynicism and Responsibility

  • Patrick Radden Keefe:
    “For a branded drug company like Purdue Pharma, the big fear is that generics will come in and start cutting into your market share... And not only that, but then they turn around and say... anyone else who would now produce a generic version of the old OxyContin... well, that is actually prone to abuse.” ([09:04])

• On Family Involvement

  • “There were numerous members of the Sackler family who were intimately involved in the kind of inner workings of Purdue Pharma, and specifically in decisions made about how and when to promote the use of these strong opioids.” ([10:49])

• On Accountability

  • “Any kind of settlement you get will be completely incommensurate with the damage that’s been done.” ([17:12])

• On Philanthropy’s Complicated Legacy

  • “I think there is a very real sense in which the toolbox that was employed by Raymond and Mortimer Sackler... was a toolbox that was devised by Arthur.” ([14:00])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:39] – Introduction: the opioid crisis and OxyContin's role
• [02:58] – Comparison of opioid and tobacco industry tactics
• [04:02–06:04] – Purdue’s marketing blitz and changing medical attitudes
• [07:18] – Abuse-deterrent claims & FDA regulatory failures
• [10:49] – Court documents on Sackler involvement
• [13:29] – Arthur Sackler and the roots of medical advertising
• [15:49] – Purdue’s legal strategy and previous settlements
• [16:51] – Prospects for mass settlements and their limits
• [18:39] – Bankruptcy, asset protection, and Sackler finances
• [19:49] – Museums rejecting Sackler money and activist impacts
• [21:16] – Recent settlements and their inadequacy

Tone and Takeaways

The conversation maintains a probing, investigative tone, marked by moments of outrage, astonishment, and sober assessment of structural failings. Listeners come away with a deeper understanding of how profit-driven strategies, regulatory lapses, and sophisticated PR campaigns allowed the opioid crisis to spiral—and how public and legal efforts now seek, though cannot fully secure, justice and accountability.