oxycodone is a synthetic opioid developed to treat pain. Oxycodone was originally developed in Germany in 1917 from a synthesis of thebaine, an alkaloid derived from the opium poppy that creates feelings of euphoria. In use in various formulations in Europe and the U.S. over the 20th century for pain treatment, the drug gained widespread use when the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma introduced OxyContin, a time-released version of oxycodone, in 1995. Heavily promoted as a treatment for severe pain, OxyContin abuse rapidly became a social health issue in the United States, with an estimated over 11 million recreational users of the drug. Highly addictive—and in some cases leading to death—the drug had a devastating effect on its users. Following the discovery that Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler family, were aware of its dangerous side effects at the same time they profited greatly by selling the drug, the Justice Department brought charges against the company for its deceptive marketing practices, leading to a $634.5 million settlement in 2007. As addictions grew worse across the country, Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy in September 2019 to protect itself against nearly 3,000 lawsuits filed by state and local governments, hospitals, and others; in early 2021, it put forward a $10 billion restructuring plan—including $4.275 million from the Sacklers--that would create a new company to benefit the drug’s victims and offer low-cost treatment for those addicted to the medication. The Sacklers separately agreed to pay $225 million to the federal government to settle civil charges filed against them without admitting any guilt. To date, opioid addiction has led to nearly half-a-million deaths in the US alone, topping 50,000 deaths in 2019 alone, a new record.
See S. Quinones, Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic (2015), B. Meier, Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America's Opioid Epidemic (2018), P. R. Keefe, Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty (2021).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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