Latest news with #SacklerFamily
New York Times
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Times
Jillian Sackler, Philanthropist Who Defended Husband's Legacy, Dies at 84
Jillian Sackler, an arts philanthropist who struggled to preserve the reputation of her husband, Arthur, by distinguishing him from his two younger Sackler brothers and their descendants, whose aggressive marketing and false advertising on behalf of their pharmaceutical company, Purdue Pharma, triggered the opioid epidemic, died on May 20 in Manhattan. She was 84. Her death, in a hospital, was from esophageal cancer, said Miguel Benavides, her health proxy. Dr. Arthur Sackler, a psychiatrist and researcher who became a pioneer in medical marketing, bought Purdue Frederick, originally based in New York City, in the 1950s and gave each of his brothers a one-third share. They incorporated the company as Purdue Pharma in 1991. (Its headquarters are now in Stamford, Conn.) Dr. Sackler died in 1987 — nine years before the opioid OxyContin was marketed by the company as a powerful painkiller. Shortly after his death, his estate sold his share of the company to his billionaire brothers, Raymond and Mortimer, for $22.4 million. The company's misleading advertising claim that OxyContin was nonaddictive prompted doctors to overprescribe it beginning in the 1990s. The proliferation of the medication ruined countless lives of people who became dependent on it. In 2021, the company proposed a bankruptcy settlement in which members of the Sackler family agreed to pay $4.2 billion over nine years to resolve civil claims related to the opioid crisis. In return, they sought immunity from future lawsuits. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Reuters
22-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Ex-McKinsey partner who advised opioid maker Purdue Pharma sentenced to prison
May 22 (Reuters) - A former McKinsey & Co partner was sentenced on Thursday to six months in prison for obstructing justice by destroying records related to advice the consulting firm gave Purdue Pharma on how to "turbocharge" sales of the opioid painkiller OxyContin. Martin Elling, 60, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert Ballou in Abingdon, Virginia, after his former employer agreed in December to pay $650 million to resolve related charges by the U.S. Department of Justice over its work for Purdue. Prosecutors argued Elling deserved a year in prison after he pleaded guilty in January. His lawyers countered that any prison sentence would be "devastating" as it would bar him from ever entering his new home of Thailand. The sentence was confirmed by a representative for Elling's legal team, which said he is "extremely sorry" for his conduct. Purdue in 2020 pleaded guilty to charges concerning misconduct related to its marketing and sale of prescription painkillers. Prosecutors said Elling was involved in helping McKinsey land work for Purdue in 2013 that resulted in the New York-based firm crafting a strategy to boost OxyContin sales. The strategy involved targeting "high-value" prescribers in the medical field, including ones who prescribed opioids for illegitimate uses, prosecutors said. According to charging papers, opens new tab, Elling was among a few McKinsey partners who participated in a 2013 meeting with members of the Sackler family who owned Purdue Pharma and ultimately adopted McKinsey's proposal. In July 2018, after reading about a lawsuit Massachusetts' attorney general filed against Purdue, Elling emailed a McKinsey partner about whether "we should be doing anything other that [sic] eliminating all our documents and emails." A month later, Elling emailed himself to "delete old pur (Purdue Pharma) documents from laptop," prosecutors said. They said a forensic analysis confirmed he did just that.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ex-McKinsey partner who advised opioid maker Purdue Pharma sentenced to prison
By Nate Raymond (Reuters) - A former McKinsey & Co partner was sentenced on Thursday to six months in prison for obstructing justice by destroying records related to advice the consulting firm gave Purdue Pharma on how to "turbocharge" sales of the opioid painkiller OxyContin. Martin Elling, 60, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert Ballou in Abingdon, Virginia, after his former employer agreed in December to pay $650 million to resolve related charges by the U.S. Department of Justice over its work for Purdue. Prosecutors argued Elling deserved a year in prison after he pleaded guilty in January. His lawyers countered that any prison sentence would be "devastating" as it would bar him from ever entering his new home of Thailand. The sentence was confirmed by a representative for Elling's legal team, which said he is "extremely sorry" for his conduct. Purdue in 2020 pleaded guilty to charges concerning misconduct related to its marketing and sale of prescription painkillers. Prosecutors said Elling was involved in helping McKinsey land work for Purdue in 2013 that resulted in the New York-based firm crafting a strategy to boost OxyContin sales. The strategy involved targeting "high-value" prescribers in the medical field, including ones who prescribed opioids for illegitimate uses, prosecutors said. According to charging papers, Elling was among a few McKinsey partners who participated in a 2013 meeting with members of the Sackler family who owned Purdue Pharma and ultimately adopted McKinsey's proposal. In July 2018, after reading about a lawsuit Massachusetts' attorney general filed against Purdue, Elling emailed a McKinsey partner about whether "we should be doing anything other that [sic] eliminating all our documents and emails." A month later, Elling emailed himself to "delete old pur (Purdue Pharma) documents from laptop," prosecutors said. They said a forensic analysis confirmed he did just that. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
