Family who Fueled and Seeded the Opioid Epidemic Awarded A Patent to Make Money On A Treatment

Dr. Richard Sackler, a member of the family that owns Purdue Pharma who has made billions from the sale of addicting OxyContin and is being sued by more than 1,000 jurisdictions for its alleged role in seeding the opioid crisis. Now he has been awarded a patent for a treatment for opioid use disorder.

Congress has requested from Purdue a copy of a deposition from Sackler that was taken as part of a lawsuit brought by Kentucky against Purdue. The case was settled in 2015, but it is believed to be the only time a member of the Sackler family has been questioned under oath about the marketing of OxyContin and what the company knew about the addictive properties of the pain reliever which fueled the addiction crisis that its now epidemic proportion. Recently Sackler has been awarded a patent on a drug treatment his family’s company is accused of fueling.

They profit billions for creating an epidemic and then potentially profit additional billions from treatments for the addiction.

By 2020, the global market for pain management pharmaceuticals is expected to reach $40.4 billion in revenue, according to BCC Research, a market research company. It’s also projected to grow – or at least stay constant – because of an aging population, an increase in patients with cancer and chronic pain, and health care advances that allow people to live longer.

Tim Morrison, a Phoenix resident whose son is recovering from an opiate addiction. “It’s all about dollars, and there is no consideration for the human element and the fact that it’s addictive.”

This article originally appeared at: https://www.businessinsider.com/richard-sackler-granted-patent-for-addiction-treatment-2018-9?utm_content=buffer2d920&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer-bi.

https://www.statnews.com/2018/08/06/congress-purdue-pharma-richard-sackler-deposition/