In part two of our deep dive into Purdue Pharma, we examine the legal and financial fallout of the opioid crisis. Despite a 2007 guilty plea for misbranding OxyContin, Purdue continued operations while the Sackler family transferred billions of dollars into private accounts.
We break down the 2024 Supreme Court ruling in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, the subsequent $7.4 billion national settlement, the restructuring of Purdue into Noah Pharma, and the activist campaigns that successfully scrubbed the Sackler name from global museums.
.................................................
Support Time & Tales: Our new dark history and folklore eBooks launch October 31st for $13. Grab them atlmriviere.com/anthologies,
Or join our Patreon for ad-free & bonus episodes, articles, and other goodies.
............................................
Sources:
Barry, Meier. Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic. 2nd ed., Random House, 2018.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Understanding the Opioid Overdose Epidemic.” CDC, 2024.
General Accounting Office. Prescription Drugs: OxyContin Abuse and Diversion and Efforts to Address the Problem. GAO-04-110, U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2003.
Harrington v. Purdue Pharma L.P. 603 U.S. ___, Supreme Court of the United States, 2024.
Keefe, Patrick Radden. Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty. Doubleday, 2021.
Macy, Beth. Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America. Little, Brown and Company, 2018.
Meier, Barry. “Origins of an Epidemic: Purdue Pharma Knew Its Opioids Were Widely Abused.” The New York Times, 2018.
Purdue Frederick Company, Inc. “The Purdue Frederick Company, Inc. and Top Executives Plead Guilty to Misbranding OxyContin; Will Pay Over $600 Million.” U.S. Department of Justice, 10 May 2007.
United States v. Purdue Pharma L.P. U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, 2026.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Timeline of Selected FDA Activities and Significant Events Addressing Substance Use and Overdose Prevention.” FDA.
U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform. “The Role of Purdue Pharma and the Sackler Family in the Opioid Epidemic.” 2020.
UCSF-Johns Hopkins University. Opioid Industry Documents Archive. University of California, San Francisco, and Johns Hopkins University, 2021.
Chapter Timestamps:
- 0:00 Pre-Episode Warm-Up & BanterTXT
- 6:36 Cold Open: The 2007 Plea & Escaping CourtTXT
- 7:14 Intro Music & Episode WarningTXT
- 8:12 Housekeeping: Books Dropping Oct 31!TXT
- 10:28 Business as Usual & The Fentanyl TransitionTXT
- 13:58 The Opioid Industry Documents ArchiveTXT
- 15:47 Withdrawing $10.7 Billion & The Bankruptcy ShieldTXT
- 18:48 The 2020 DOJ Criminal & Civil ResolutionTXT
- 23:55 The Reorganization Plan & Structural AppealsTXT
- 28:44 Supreme Court Ruling: Harrington v. Purdue PharmaTXT
- 30:45 The $7.4 Billion Settlement & Noah PharmaTXT
- 32:55 Nan Goldin, PAIN, & The Museum ProtestsTXT
- 36:00 Final Thoughts: Corporate AccountabilityTXT
- 41:40 OutroTXT
