EMPIRE OF PAIN The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

Accomplished author Patrick Radden Keefe narrates his well-researched and authoritative examination of several generations of the Sackler family and their business affairs. The family is well known both for being philanthropists and for their notoriety in the pharmaceutical industry, specifically with respect to the development and widespread abuse of the prescription pain relievers Valium and OxyContin. Keefe's narration--measured, evocative, and consistent--employs just the slightest bit of indignation and irony over the health-care crises that have plagued the U.S. due to the potency and powerful addictiveness of these medications. The highly detailed work casts a spotlight on the Sackler-invented approach, begun in the 1950s, of aggressively marketing medications directly to physicians. Keefe's polished presentation adds to this eye-opening listen. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2021]