Are you aware of the Netflix series, Painkiller, which was released on 10th August?
Yes, it is based on the real-life events caused by Sackler. Now you might be curious about the real person about whom a series was created in the first place.
Who was he? Did he do something great? Your curious mind might be making so many assumptions and questions about that person, so let’s hop into it.
Richard Stephen Sackler, an American billionaire businessman, and physician, served as the chairman and president of Purdue Pharma, a former business best known for developing OxyContin. Richard Stephen Sackler, who was born on March 10th, 1945, is now 78 years old.
Numerous legal actions and fines have been levied against Purdue Pharma for its role in the US opioid epidemic, and the company filed for bankruptcy in 2019.
The Sackler family has been termed “America’s most evil family.”
The Netflix series Painkiller from 2023 is solely focused on the company’s demise.
Sackler began working for Purdue Pharma in 1971 as his father’s assistant in the president’s office. He was appointed director of marketing and director of research and development.
Sackler had a significant role in the creation of Oxycontin by driving Purdue Pharma’s research in the 1990s, which encouraged Oxycontin to take the place of MS Contin, which was poised to face generic competition.
The Demise of the Sackler Family Due To Oxycontin
Although no research on how addictive Oxycontin was or how likely it was to be abused had been done as part of the clearance process, Sackler was able to convince the FDA to authorize a claim that it was less addictive than other painkillers. Opiates have been known to be highly addictive for many years.
Purdue Pharma and members of the Sackler family are accused of knowing that administering high doses of OxyContin to patients for prolonged periods increased the risk of serious side effects, including addiction, according to legally obtained documents related to a new lawsuit filed in June by Massachusetts attorney general Maura Healey. These records provided more evidence to support this assertion.
David, Rebecca, and Marianna are the three children that Sackler and Beth Sackler had together before their divorce. Richard and Beth Sackler Foundation is a philanthropic organization they run.
Earlier, Michael Stuhlbarg played Sackler in the 2021 Hulu series Dopesick. So that’s how you can catch a glimpse of how Netflix wasn’t the only platform that portrayed his opioid crisis.
Net Worth Of Richard Sackler
About the promotion of OxyContin or any overdose deaths involving the drug, the Sackler family has never faced criminal charges. Sackler, still estimated to be worth up to $1.1 billion, has consistently denied any wrongdoing, as Netflix’s Painkiller series makes clear.
The Netflix limited series Painkiller, which aired on August 10, 2023, stars Matthew Broderick as Sackler.
This Netflix Original Series “Painkiller” is based on the real-life Sacklers and Purdue Pharma opioid crisis in the US, as seen by the criminals, their victims, and truth-seekers. It garnered strange and unsettling responses from the audience.
