If You're Curious About These Questions...
You should listen to this audiobook
- Did you know how one elusive family managed to convince the medical world that a highly addictive drug was actually safe for everyday use?
- Have you ever wondered why some of the world’s most prestigious museums and universities were named after a family central to a global health catastrophe?
- What’s the secret behind how a billionaire dynasty used a fortress of lawyers and political connections to shield themselves from accountability for decades?
Listen to Empire of Pain — Free Audiobook
Key Takeaways from Empire of Pain
- Discover how Arthur Sackler revolutionized modern pharmaceutical advertising by marketing directly to physicians and using dubious tactics to push drugs like Valium.
- Understand the origins of the Purdue Pharma dynasty, tracing its growth from selling unglamorous drugstore products to developing revolutionary time-release opiates.
- Learn why the Sackler family aggressively donated millions to brand prestigious global institutions with their name while intentionally obscuring their ties to the businesses funding their wealth.
- Find out how Purdue Pharma catalyzed the devastating opioid crisis by falsely marketing OxyContin as safe and pushing doctors to prescribe it for mild pain.
- Uncover the secretive, integrated network of medical advertising, research institutes, and sales data collection that the Sacklers built to silently manipulate physician prescribing habits.
Empire of Pain — Full Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: Recommendation
Chapter 2: Arthur and his younger brothers.
Chapter 3: The Sacklers forge a dynasty.
Chapter 4: What’s within a name?
Chapter 5: The next generation takes the mantle.
Chapter 6: The painkiller to begin with and remain with.
Chapter 7: The creation of a crisis.
Chapter 8: The tainted billionaires.
Empire of Pain Summary & Overview
Empire of Pain (2021) follows the rise and fall of the elusive Sacklers, the billionaire family behind Purdue Pharma. Its blockbuster drug, OxyContin, was aggressively marketed as safe, but would go on to spur a devastating opioid crisis that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Yet the Sacklers’ fortress of lawyers, political connections and a philanthropic name would, time and again, protect them from responsibility.
Who Should Listen to Empire of Pain?
- Current affairs enthusiasts
- Lovers of family dynasty dramas
- Anyone wanting to understand the opioid crisis
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