"The only difference between heroin and OxyContin is that you can get OxyContin from a Doctor."

- anonymous mother from Gadsden, Alabama who lost a child to an OxyContin overdose.

(This memo is based on Patrick Radden Keefe's book, Empire of Pain).

What is OxyContin?

OxyContin, a prescription drug for pain relief, was first released in 1996. Manufactured by, at the time, a relatively obscure privately owned pharmaceutical company (Purdue Pharma), it went on to gross over $10 billion for its owners - The Sackler family.

OxyContin's most active ingredient is Oxycodone, a derivative of opium. What made the pill so unique, and able to get FDA approval, was its' "contin" coating. This facilitated a slow release of the Oxycodone inside the pill rather than delivering a powerful "all at once" hit.

Although invented by Robert Kaiko, OxyContin was the brainchild of Richard Sackler who was keen to tap into the pain relief market (in 1994, 1 in 3 Americans suffered with chronic, untreated pain).

Richard Sackler was the nephew of Arthur Sackler, who began the Sackler dynasty.

Arthur Sackler, born in 1913, was the son of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. He was, perhaps, the most gifted of all the Sacklers, being a psychiatrist, advertising mogul, art collector and philanthropist. Arthur made the bulk of the family fortune by advertising Valium.

His advertising techniques were revolutionary. He pioneered the method of advertising direct to doctors and citing scientific studies as evidence of the safety and efficacy of a drug (studies that were often underwritten by the pharmaceutical companies selling the drugs).

Richard Sackler, inspired his uncle, would use this technique to great effect when promoting OxyContin.

The obstacle he faced (during the early 90s), was the medical establishments caution about using opioids as anything but pain relief for patients with terminal illnesses.

To change this perception, and garner mainstream acceptance for OxyContin as a treatment for all types of pain, Richard Sackler went on a PR offensive. In one year, Purdue Pharma spent $9 million on wining and dining Doctors to discuss the benefits of OxyContin.

Purdue also sponsored 7000 pain seminars, flying physicians to resorts where they listened to tenuous studies about the safety of opioids in pain relief treatment.

Worse was to come. Prosecutors in the 2007 case against Purdue believed the company had an inside man at the FDA.

His name was Curtis Wright and his oversight allowed a dangerous narcotic to be sold to the US market as a FDA approved prescription drug.

He subsequently left the FDA and was given a position at Purdue Pharma.

His first years' salary? $400.000!