The Big Picture
Painkiller is a fictionalized limited series that sheds light on the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic caused by overprescription of addictive medications. The series draws inspiration from real events and figures, including the influential article “The Family That Built an Empire of Pain” and other books on the opioid crisis. It exposes the controversial history of the Sackler family’s involvement in Purdue Pharma, the creation of OxyContin, deceptive marketing strategies, and the subsequent legal cases and settlements.
The latest Netflix hit limited series is Painkiller, a disturbing six-part drama about the impact that the opioid epidemic had on the world when highly addictive medications became widely available and overprescribed by doctors. The series shows how Richard Sackler used the pharmaceutical company Purdue Pharma to turn the painkiller Oxycontin into a “blockbuster drug,” with little concern for the medication’s increasing availability on the black market. While Painkiller is a fictionalized depiction of the birth of the opioid crisis, it refers to many real events and figures, including the Sackler family. Painkiller only scratches the surface of the damage that opioid abuse has caused. The series ends with a title card suggesting that approximately 300,000 people died in the last two decades because of Oxycontin addiction.
Painkiller largely draws inspiration from Patrick Radden Keefe’s highly influential article for The New Yorker entitled “The Family That Built an Empire of Pain” and his extensive 2021 novel of the same name. It also incorporates details about the opioid crisis revealed in Barry Meier’s 2003 nonfiction novel The Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic and other related texts. Characters like the opioid addict Glen Kryger, his wife Lily, and their son Tyler were created to show the effects of opioid abuse. The series is fairly accurate in detailing the history of the Sackler family, who played a role in funding various art institutions and universities. Richard Sackler continued his research into painkillers as the leader of Purdue Pharma and focused on OxyContin. OxyContin became popular within its first five years of release, and the Sackler family covertly influenced its approval process. The sales strategy prioritized the strength of the doses, making them even more addictive. Purdue Pharma settled a case for misrepresenting the dangers of OxyContin but faced additional lawsuits linking them to opioid-related deaths. The Sackler family paid a settlement and Purdue Pharma declared bankruptcy. The Sacklers’ role in the crisis gained increased awareness through publications and campaigns. While fictionalized adaptations like Painkiller have attempted to chronicle the opioid crisis, the situation is still ongoing, with recent legal developments. Other projects, such as Hulu’s Dopesick, have also covered similar events.
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