oxycodone is a
synthetic opioid developed to treat pain. Oxycodone was originally developed
in Germany in 1917 from a synthesis of thebaine, an alkaloid derived from
the opium poppy that
creates feelings of euphoria. In use in various formulations in Europe and
the U.S. over the 20th century for pain treatment, the drug gained
widespread use when the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma introduced
OxyContin, a time-released version of oxycodone, in 1995. Heavily promoted
as a treatment for severe pain, OxyContin abuse rapidly became a social
health issue in the United States, with an estimated over 11 million
recreational users of the drug. Highly addictive—and in some cases
leading to death—the drug had a devastating effect on its users.
Following the discovery that Purdue Pharma and its owners, the Sackler
family, were aware of its dangerous side effects at the same time they
profited greatly by selling the drug, the Justice Department brought charges
against the company for its deceptive marketing practices, leading to a
$634.5 million settlement in 2007. As addictions grew worse across the
country, Purdue Pharma filed for bankruptcy in September 2019 to protect
itself against nearly 3,000 lawsuits filed by state and local governments,
hospitals, and others; in early 2021, it put forward a $10 billion
restructuring plan—including $4.275 million from the Sacklers--that
would create a new company to benefit the drug’s victims and offer
low-cost treatment for those addicted to the medication. The Sacklers
separately agreed to pay $225 million to the federal government to settle
civil charges filed against them without admitting any guilt. To date,
opioid addiction has led to nearly half-a-million deaths in the US alone,
topping 50,000 deaths in 2019 alone, a new record.
See S. Quinones, Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate
Epidemic (2015), B. Meier, Pain Killer: An Empire of
Deceit and the Origin of America's Opioid Epidemic (2018), P.
R. Keefe, Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler
Dynasty (2021).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Pharmacology
