You won’t believe how committed I’am to making OxyContin a success. It is almost that I decided my life to it. After the initial launch phase, I will have to catch up with my private life again.
– Richard Sackler (Former CEO of Purdue Pharma)
The opioid epidemic saw thousands of people either die or have their lives derailed by addiction. Opioids found their way into many different communities affecting various populations of people often resulting in an overdose. The prescription pain killer OxyContin was released in the mid 1990s, immediately seeing huge success among those looking for treatment of chronic pain. As treatment for these conditions were often viewed as ineffective or cumbersome resulting in less than desirable patient outcomes.
As Purdue Pharma began receive lawsuits and backlash in the midst of their marketing campaign for OxyContin they remained adamant with their attempts to market OxyContin. Before opioid the crisis gained national recognition states such as Massachusetts and West Virginia began filling lawsuits against Purdue for their somewhat aggressive marketing and sales tactics. Purdue quickly paid out settlement and slightly altered their strategies continuing with their marketing of OxyContin. In 2006, Purdue would receive more backlash for their product when the government disclosed evidence that the company lied about the risk of addiction associated with OxyContin. This time Purdue would pay a large settlement somewhere in the hundreds millions and adding a warning label to warn users about the inherent risk of addiction.
Addiction continued to rise especially among the rural and urban communities of middle America with trend showing extraordinary rates of prescription. Purdue would disregard trends in addiction related to opioid use and continue selling their product making billions, providing huge cash incentives to sales representatives marketing OxyContin. With the purpose to keep making profits and preventing OxyContin from receiving more legal suit, Purdue would weaken the DEA’s oversight powers directing their attention away from OxyContin towards illegal narcotics. Using their monetary power to establish OxyContin as a best selling product the year 2012 would be a milestone for Purdue with OxyContin sales peaking. This success however, would attach the attention of the government once more sparking a series of attempt the would be established to stop the excessive prescribing of OxyContin.
Breaking the Cycle 