Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
Book of the Week
‘Empire of Pain’ by Patrick Radden Keefe reviewed by by Gustav
’As with most visits to Books & Co., 80-90% of the reason is to chat with Isabella & Co., while the rest is to marvel over all the carefully curated books.
This time, Isabella recommended Empire of Pain – a book that chronicles the rise, and fall, of the Sackler family – the family behind the OxyContin pills.
I probably share some knowledge of OxyContin and the US Opioid Crisis with others; however I had never put much thought into the company behind the pills, nor the responsibility of the US federal agencies in restricting access to strong narcotics. Knowing that the opioid crisis has taken more US lives than all the wars they have fought, I figured I should learn a little more. Empire of Pain does an immaculate job of explaining the role of the Sackler family, from the first branch of brothers, Arthur, Mortimer and Raymond, through to the newer generations that would take over Purdue Pharma and create the OxyContin pill; how the family built their wealth by inventing the aggressive (and often misleading, if not fraudulent) marketing campaigns for pharmaceutical products, that reshaped the entire industry – campaigns that the newer generations, in particular Richard Sackler, would use to mass market the highly addictive opioid OxyContin in essence creating the opioid crisis. Keefe goes on to explain how greed exists on both private and public levels, with the FDA, the US courts, politicians and district attorneys all being compromised by the wealth of the Sacklers.
Keefe also does a fantastic job of highlighting why the name OxyContin might resonate with readers, but the Sackler name might not. The Sacklers have used philanthropy to buy status in society, with their names adorning top museums and universities.
I must admit that I became disheartened to learn how money drives a company like Purdue and US government institutions to turn a blind eye to one of the most tragic human catastrophes of modern time, but it is the sheer size of the scandal, along with the fascinating documentation by Keefe that made Empire of Pain unputdownable.
It makes you wonder how much more corruption and greed is being overlooked.’
Happy Reading!