REVEALED: Sackler family pumped $19 MILLION into agency tasked with opioid regulation - despite THEIR drug OxyContin fueling the crisis that killed hundreds of thousands
- The National Academies accepted donations from the family from 2000 to 2017
- The opioid crisis has led to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths in the US
- Nearly all 50 states have filed lawsuits against Purdue and Sackler family
A renowned advisory group tasked with shaping federal response to the opioid crisis has accepted roughly $19 million in donations from the Sackler family, it has been revealed.
According to the New York Times, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, a nongovernmental institution, accepted donations of millions beginning in 2000.
The Sackler family are the owners of Purdue Pharma, the maker of the addictive opioid Oxycontin.
Nearly all 50 states have filed lawsuits against Purdue and Sackler family members for their alleged roles in the opioid crisis, and many institutions have been forced to publicly distance themselves from the family.
The crisis has led to hundreds of thousands of overdose deaths across the US.
Dr. Raymond Sackler and his wife, Beverly Sackler donated $13.1 million to the National Academy of Sciences
Marcia McNutt is the current president of the National Academy of Sciences and Chair of the National Research Council
Victor J. Dzau is the current President of the National Academy of Medicine
The National Academies serves as an independent adviser to the nation on science and medicine, which includes advising the government on painkillers.
Members are elected each year, which is seen as an honor for leading scientists and doctors.
Marcia McNutt, John L. Anderson and Victor J. Dzau are the current presidents of the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine respectively.
The National Academies receives 70 percent of its budget from federal funding, with the remainder from its endowment and private donors.
According to the outlet, the Sackler family made the first donations to the National Academies in 2008 - from Dr. Raymond Sackler, his wife, Beverly Sackler, and the couple's foundation.
Daniel S. Connolly, a lawyer for the Raymond and Beverly Sackler branch of the family, said the couple gave $13.1 million to the National Academy of Sciences.
He said it was intended to support the institution 'in ways that are clearly described publicly as having nothing at all to do with pain, medications or anything related to the company'.
The National Academies treasurer reports that the sum was $14 million.
According to the New York Times, donations from Dame Jillian Sackler began in 2000, and by 2017, had amounted to $5 million.
It reports that the gifts qualified the Sackler donors for the institution's Lincoln Society, consisting of top givers who enhance the Academies' 'impact as advisers to the nation,' according to the 2021 treasurer report.
The Academies invested the funds, which grew to more than $31 million by the end of 2021, the most recent accounting available, it alleges.
The National Academies was under fire previously for a 2011 report which claimed that 100 million Americans suffered from chronic pain.
The estimate proved to be highly inflated, and the report is now largely discredited.
The National Academies has not conducted a public review to determine if the Sackler donations influenced its policymaking, despite issuing two major reports that influenced national opioid policy - including the one from 2011.
According to the outlet, the advisory group faced further issues in 2016, when members of a committee designed to issue new recommendations on opioids were removed over complaints of 'substantial ties' to opioid makers, including Purdue.
Lisa Bero, chief scientist at the University of Colorado Center for Bioethics and Humanities, told the outlet that accepting millions from the Sacklers while advising on pain policy 'would be considered a conflict of interest under almost any conflict-of-interest policy I've ever seen'.
John L. Anderson is the current President of the National Academy of Engineering
Museums, universities and other institutions barred the Sackler name as the crisis worsened
Purdue Pharma came to market with their blockbuster drug, OxyContin in 1995
Pictured above is some of the Sackler family: Dr Richard Sackler, standing second from left and Jonathan Sackler standing second from right. Seated is Raymond and Beverly Sackler
The Keck Center of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
A statement on the article from The National Academies said: 'As the scale of the opioid epidemic in this country became clear, the NAS Council decided to freeze the use of these funds in 2019.
'We are deeply troubled by the human tragedy of the opioid epidemic, and are committed to responsibly disposing of, or repurposing, these funds.
'The news article suggests that the donations from the Sacklers presented a conflict of interest for the National Academies' studies on chronic pain, opioid use, and ways to combat the opioid epidemic.
'The Sackler funds were never used to support an advisory study on these issues. It also is important to note that these funds were donated to the NAS, not the National Academy of Medicine.'
It added that the group had been 'transparent' about the Sackler funds, 'listing them in our annual treasurer's reports and elsewhere'.
The Sacklers have not admitted to wrongdoing, but reached a landmark $6 billion settlement in March 2022 to pay to governments across the nation and cede control of Purdue Pharma.
The deal officially dissolved the company and the money will be used to fund victim compensation and addiction treatment.
The settlement notably frees the Sackler family from all future civil lawsuits but does not preclude them from criminal prosecution.
