{"id":327853,"date":"2021-08-19T23:18:54","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T20:18:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/another-day-another-sackler-refuses-to-apologize-for-oxycontin-tragedies\/"},"modified":"2021-08-19T23:18:54","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T20:18:54","slug":"another-day-another-sackler-refuses-to-apologize-for-oxycontin-tragedies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/another-day-another-sackler-refuses-to-apologize-for-oxycontin-tragedies\/","title":{"rendered":"#Another day, another Sackler refuses to apologize for OxyContin tragedies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#Another day, another Sackler refuses to apologize for OxyContin tragedies<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n        <\/aside>\n<p>The family that owns Purdue Pharma had hoped a reformulated version of OxyContin would help rein in the burgeoning opioid crisis a decade ago, a member of the Sackler family said Thursday in court testimony that once again stopped short of an apology or acceptance of responsibility for the epidemic.<\/p>\n<p>Mortimer D.A. Sackler was the third member of the wealthy family to testify in a hearing, held by videoconference, on whether a judge should accept Purdue\u2019s plan to reorganize into a new company no longer owned by family members.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve said and my family have said the fact that OxyContin, a product that was sold to help people and reduce pain, also went out and got diverted and hurt people, it is horrible. It got to me, it got to our family. It was not at all what was intended,\u201d Sackler said under questioning from Tad Robinson O\u2019Neill, assistant attorney <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> of Washington, one of the states suing Purdue.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sized-mortimer-sackler.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all\" alt=\"Mortimer Sackler in a jacket and shirt\" class=\"wp-image-19180976\" width=\"301\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sized-mortimer-sackler.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=449 451w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sized-mortimer-sackler.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=299 301w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sized-mortimer-sackler.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=150 150w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sized-mortimer-sackler.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 301px) 100vw, 301px\"\/><figcaption>Mortimer D.A. Sackler testified in a hearing Thursday on whether a judge should accept Purdue\u2019s plan to reorganize.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">WireImage for Yves Saint Laurent<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI believe that if you\u2019re in a position to help, you have a responsibility to help,\u201d Sackler said. \u201cWe\u2019re here trying to get this settlement done so we can get these vast sums to these communities to these people to help them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Neill asked if that was an apology \u2014 something no Sackler relative has given amid the crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Mortimer D.A. Sackler didn\u2019t say it was. \u201cWe\u2019re sorry if a medicine that we put out that was intended to relieve pain caused pain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Sackler served more than two decades on Purdue\u2019s board of directors and for a time was a vice president, though he said he had no official duties in that role.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was important to the board that the market share of abuse-deterrent opioids grew because we believed and were told repeatedly by management that abuse-deterrent opioids saved lives,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Maryland Assistant Attorney General Brian Edmunds, attempting to build a case that Sackler family members have a responsibility for the crisis, responded: \u201cYou\u2019re saying it\u2019s a humanitarian cause?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sackler replied, \u201cI wouldn\u2019t put it in those words, but we were always trying to do the right thing, find the right balance.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Activists in the opioid crisis see Purdue as key in igniting it. Richard Sackler, who testified Thursday, told Purdue\u2019s sales force in a 1996 event to launch OxyContin that there would be \u201ca blizzard of pre<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">script<\/a>ions that will bury the competition.\u201d Years later when misuse of the drug became apparent, he described \u201cthe abusers\u201d as \u201dthe culprits and the problem,\u201d in an e-mail.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sackler-family-immunity-01-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"An anti-Purdue exhibit shows gravestones of opioid overdose victims\" class=\"wp-image-19181093\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sackler-family-immunity-01-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sackler-family-immunity-01-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sackler-family-immunity-01-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Of the three Sacklers who have testified in the past three days, not one has directly admitted responsibility for OxyContin\u2019s role in the opioid-death epidemic.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Erik McGregor\/Sipa USA<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>OxyContin was reformulated to make it harder to crush for snorting or injection for a faster high. But as it turned out, overdoses only rose after it was introduced, with most of the new deaths linked initially to heroin and more recently to illicitly produced fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. In all, more than 500,000 deaths in the US have been linked to opioid overdoses since 2000.<\/p>\n<p>It was the third day in a row that US Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain, based in White Plains, New York, heard testimony from a member of the Sackler family, which has long sought to stay out of the spotlight for its business activities.<\/p>\n<p>On Tuesday, David Sackler testified that family members would contribute $4.5 billion in cash and control of a charity fund as part of the settlement only if one provision stayed in the plan \u2014 providing protection from all present and future lawsuits over opioids and Purdue activity for family members.<\/p>\n<p>A day later, Richard Sackler \u2014 who is David Sackler\u2019s father and Mortimer D.A. Sackler\u2019s cousin, and who served at different times as president and chairman of Purdue\u2019s board \u2014 told the court that he did not believe he, his family or the company had any responsibility for the opioid crisis in the US.<\/p>\n<p>Mortimer D.A. Sackler, in his testimony, was also asked about the opioid epidemic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe overdose crisis in America is a national emergency, and it\u2019s a horrible situation that to my understanding has been increasing since the late \u201970s,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sackler-family-immunity-02-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"A Purdue logo in gold\" class=\"wp-image-19181103\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sackler-family-immunity-02-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sackler-family-immunity-02-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sackler-family-immunity-02-2.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>A proposed reorganization plan for Purdue means the Sacklers would give up control of the company.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Purdue, based in Stamford, Conn., pleaded guilty to criminal charges relating to its opioid practices in both 2007 and last year, but no members of the Sackler family have admitted wrongdoing or been charged with any crimes.<\/p>\n<p>In a separate settlement announced last year with the US Department of Justice, Sackler family members agreed to pay $225 million but again admitted no wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<p>The bankruptcy being sought by the company is a means to settle 3,000 lawsuits filed by state and local governments, Native American tribes and others.<\/p>\n<p>Under the proposed plans, the Sackler family members would give up ownership of the company and future profits would go largely to abate the opioid crisis. Family members would also contribute a total of $4.5 billion in cash and control of charitable funds.<\/p>\n<p>Most of Purdue\u2019s creditors who have voted on the plan say they support it, but Maryland and eight other states are among those pushing back. They object largely to the legal protections it would extend to members of the Sackler family.<\/p>\n<p>Drain has said he expects to decide next week whether to confirm the plan.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/08\/19\/another-day-another-sackler-refuses-to-apologize-for-oxycontin-tragedies\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Another day, another Sackler refuses to apologize for OxyContin tragedies&#8221; The family that owns Purdue Pharma had hoped a reformulated version of OxyContin would help rein in the burgeoning opioid crisis a decade ago, a member of the Sackler family said Thursday in court testimony that once again stopped short of an apology or acceptance&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":327854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/08\/sackler-family-immunity-03-2.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[114518,87869,114521,75876],"class_list":["post-327853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-8-19-21","tag-drug-overdoses","tag-oxycodone","tag-purdue"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=327853"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/327853\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/327854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=327853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=327853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=327853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}