HOW THE MURDERERS WENT FREE –
Feb. 27, 2022 – For decades the Sackler name was synonymous with often extravagant art world philanthropy – since 2009, the Sackler Trust had given around £170m to art institutions in Britain alone. Of late, though, it has been tarnished by its association with OxyContin, the addictive painkiller at the heart of the ongoing opioid epidemic in America that has claimed around 500,000 lives there. Keefe’s book, which is about to be published in paperback, reveals in forensic detail how the Sacklers’ vast fortune was built in part on the profits made by their company, Purdue Pharma, which manufactured and aggressively marketed OxyContin to physicians who prescribed it in often dangerously high doses. It is an epic, intricately structured tale of obsession, greed and dizzying corporate irresponsibility, which has been lauded by the critics, awarded the 2021 Baillie Gifford prize for nonfiction and become a global bestseller.
Though flattered to be on the Business Book of the Year shortlist, Keefe felt ambivalent about the award, not least because it was co-sponsored by McKinsey & Company, a global management consultancy hired in 2007 by Purdue to “turbocharge” sales of OxyContin. In February of last year, McKinsey announced a settlement of almost $600m against lawsuits filed by 49 US states over its role in the opioid crisis, while also refusing to admit liability.
