Sealed Testimony Reveals Extent of Sackler’s Complicity in Opioid Crisis

DAVID ARMSTRONG / ProPublica Feb 22, 2019 According to court documents, the billionaire boasted about OxyContin sales and backed a plan to conceal the drug's strength from doctors. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )

Protest Erupts Over Guggenheim Museum’s Ties to Big Pharma

Common Dreams Feb 10, 2019 Demonstrators drop thousands of white slips that look like OxyContin prescriptions to highlight the Sackler family's role in the opioid epidemic. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Opioid Distribution Data Can’t Be Made Public, Judge Rules

ELLIOT SPAGAT, COLLEEN LONG and AMY TAXIN / The Associated Press Jul 27, 2018 His decision to prevent state and local governments from publicizing the federal government data is a blow to news organizations seeking to report on the nation's overdose and addiction crisis. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Massachusetts Sues Drug Executives Over Opioid Crisis

ALANNA DURKIN RICHER / The Associated Press Jun 12, 2018 The suit, the first to target company executives, alleges that Purdue Pharma misled doctors and patients about risks and "peddled falsehoods" to sell more drugs and boost profits. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Drug Makers Funded Opioid Advocacy Groups, Senator Finds

MATTHEW PERRONE and GEOFF MULVIHILL / The Associated Press Feb 12, 2018 A report by Claire McCaskill sheds light on the opioid industry’s ability to shape public opinion and raises questions about drug companies' roles in the overdose epidemic. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

The Link Between School Privatization and Opioid Epidemic

Sarah Darer Littman / AlterNet Nov 13, 2017 A fortune derived from the relentless marketing of painkillers is now being used to expand charter schools. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Reformulated Drug Sends Users Elsewhere

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jul 14, 2012 A harder-to-abuse version of OxyContin released two years ago has pushed users to other drugs that mimic the effects of opiates, including heroin. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Hillbilly Heroin’ Gets a Makeover

Staff / Truthdig Sep 23, 2009 So many people grind up and inject or snort the powerful painkiller OxyContin that the drug's maker has had to snap a plastic-like coating around the pill. The FDA says the improvement is marginal at best in reducing abuse of the drug, but better than nothing. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

OxyContin Maker Fined for Pushing Misinformation

Staff / Truthdig May 12, 2007 OxyContin, also known as "hillbilly heroin," is an effective drug for pain sufferers but also a highly coveted addictive opiate. Just ask Rush Limbaugh. Now the company that makes "Oxy" will have to pay $634.5 million in Justice Department fines for claiming that the painkiller, which has been linked to hundreds of overdose deaths, is less addictive and subject to abuse than the competition. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )