The relationship could shadow his presidential bid.
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The Big Story

Fri. Feb 28, 2020

When the Billionaire Family Behind the Opioid Crisis Needed PR Help, They Turned to Mike Bloomberg

Bloomberg gave media advice to the Sacklers and recommended his longtime mayoral spokesman to them. The relationship could shadow his presidential bid.

   

More From This Investigation

Data Touted by OxyContin Maker to Fight Lawsuits Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story

Downplaying its role in the opioid epidemic, Purdue Pharma has embraced a federal statistic showing it was a minor player in the pain pill market. But when we took drug potency into account, Purdue’s importance soared.

Watch Richard Sackler Deny His Family’s Role in the Opioid Crisis

Sackler testified in 2015 in a lawsuit brought by Kentucky against his family’s company, Purdue Pharma, which makes the painkiller OxyContin. We published the transcript in February. Now you can see the video.

Sackler Embraced Plan to Conceal OxyContin’s Strength From Doctors, Sealed Testimony Shows

As OxyContin addiction spurred a national nightmare, a member of the family that has reaped billions of dollars from the painkiller boasted that sales exceeded his “fondest dreams,” according to a secret court document obtained by ProPublica.

Sacklers Who Disavow OxyContin May Have Benefited From It

A little-known court document sheds light on the family feud over the multibillion-dollar painkiller’s association with the opioid crisis.

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