Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

The Caribbean tropical island of Turks, an exclusive vacation destination, is the home of an even more exclusive resort, Amanyara, built in 2007. Mortimer Sackler Jr., now married to a prominent member of Manhattan society, Jacqueline Pugh, purchased a vacation home there shortly after the family settled the Virginia lawsuit. At Amanyara, guests had private chefs and butlers, and even the sand was kept cool for them. Radden Keefe observes that it is a not uncommon trend in family dynasties for subsequent generations to be overshadowed by the forebears who created family wealth. Mortimer Sackler embodied this tendency—he was content with the lifestyle of a wealthy philanthropist. He was concerned about the liabilities of being associated with opioids, but the family could not find another way to maintain its vast wealth.

Contrary to Purdue’s promises to cease fraudulent marketing, OxyContin sales tactics largely remained unchanged, even as politicians and the public increasingly saw a “public health crisis” (294). Even when company’s own data showed single clinics or doctors being responsible for massive prescriptions of the largest possible doses, Purdue rarely notified the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). To do so would have reduced company profits.

The ultimate fate of