Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty

In 1973, Raymond Sackler bought a massive mansion in Greenwich, Connecticut, and moved Purdue’s headquarters to nearby Norwalk. Raymond was the company president, and Richard Sackler became his father’s assistant. Richard was passionate about the company—even more so than about his new wife, psychologist Beth Pressman. While employees could resent Richard’s demanding nature and his merely surface-level knowledge of complicated procedures, they could not easily resist or argue. To advance at Purdue, close and smooth relations with the Sacklers were as important as any credential. The ultimate family loyalist was the firm’s general counsel, Howard Udell, who had worked with the company since the 1960s.

Purdue employees recall that Richard Sackler’s interference could cause problems for production quality, as when he demanded a change in Betadine production believing it would cut costs. His new formula was unusable, but, as one scientist recalled, Richard “was a smart guy, with lousy judgment” and no belief in his own fallibility (157).

Mortimer Sackler spent the 1970s in Europe and New York, frequently quarreling with his ex-wife Geri over a Manhattan apartment and her habit of letting friends live there. He oversaw a British holding, Napp Laboratories, which made a major advancement in pain treatment for cancer patients—the “breakthrough” drug MS Contin (159), a slow release morphine pill that allowed patients to remain at home for pain management rather than receive IV morphine in a hospital.

Raymond Sackler hoped to replicate the drug’s success in the United States, convincing the FDA to shorten its regulatory overview period on the grounds that morphine was already widely approved despite the fact that such “grandfathering” was about to become illegal (160). Purdue made and marketed MS Contin, starting in 1984, without waiting for formal approval. Within the company, the drug became the key to Richard Sackler’s vision, with a new “sales force” as his “shock troops” (161). When the FDA sought legal action because of Purdue’s decision to sell the drug without full regulatory oversight process, the Sacklers appealed directly to the Reagan administration, thus avoiding penalties or consequences. The new drug increased Purdue’s profits massively—$170 million per year.

Radden Keefe turns to the complicated financial arrangement of Arthur Sackler’s estate, especially the relationship between his first wife Else and Jillian Sackler, his widow. Arthur’s estate and his spending on art and philanthropy were large; his lack of transparency meant that untangling his debts and assets was difficult. Arthur’s children resented Jillian; Arthur’s brothers, as co-owners of many of his businesses, also had an interest in the estate. They were particularly eager to assume full ownership of Purdue by acquiring Arthur’s share in the company.

The family disputes became heated and detailed: “No stock share or hunk of sculpture went uncontested. The fight took on a life of its own, unspooling into a Dickensian saga that would drag on for years, Matter of Sackler, as the case was known” (168). Though Arthur had not been an especially involved father when his children were growing up, his adult daughter Elizabeth frequently attended social functions with him. Elizabeth became particularly invested in her father’s artistic and philanthropic legacy.

The formerly close relationships of the Sackler brothers, and their business entanglement with Bill Frolich, became newly significant after Arthur’s estate was contested. His first wife Else denied any knowledge of joint ownership or plans to establish a charitable trust for most of the business proceeds, as the brothers and Frolich had originally planned. This deception, likely intentional, was not Else’s maneuver alone—Raymond and Mortimer had deliberately cultivated overseas business, knowing Arthur could not share foreign profits. Arthur did the same with his medical newspaper. This created a power struggle. Raymond and Mortimer prevailed: “Arthur’s heirs ended up selling their one-third stock interest in Purdue Frederick to Mortimer and Raymond for $22 million. In light of what the company was about to become, this was, for Arthur’s heirs, a spectacularly foolish transaction” (172).