What criteria do the National Academies use to decide whether to accept donations from the Sackler family?
Background
The Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, have found themselves at the center of a nationwide controversy regarding their role in the opioid epidemic. Recent reports from NBC News, The New Yorker, and The Washington Post have revealed that members of the Sackler family knew that OxyContin was highly addictive and that they had misled doctors and the public about its risks.
Moreover, Purdue Pharma has been accused of purposely misleading doctors about the dangers of opioid addiction in order to increase sales. The company has already paid $634.5 million to settle charges related to its marketing of OxyContin.
As a result, many institutions have refused to accept donations from the Sacklers, and lawmakers have been calling for accountability from the family.
The Latest Development
Now, according to an article in the Chronicle of Philanthropy, members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are demanding answers about the Sacklers’ donations to the organization.
The National Academies are a prestigious group of institutions that provide policy advice to the government and conduct scientific research. Members include Nobel laureates, National Medal of Science winners, and former cabinet members.
The Sackler family has donated millions of dollars to the National Academies over the years, but members of the organization are now calling for transparency around these donations. They want to know, for example, if any conditions were attached to the contributions and if the Sacklers received any influence over the Academies’ work or policies.
The Call for Accountability
The demand for answers from the National Academies is part of a broader movement calling for accountability from the Sackler family and other institutions that have profited from the opioid epidemic.
Last year, a group of Democratic senators sent letters to a number of universities and research institutions that had received donations from the Sacklers, asking them to account for the money and consider returning it. Some institutions, such as Tufts University, have already taken steps to distance themselves from the family.
The demand for transparency from the National Academies is just the latest indication that the Sacklers’ role in the opioid epidemic will continue to be a subject of intense scrutiny and public debate.
Conclusion
The opioid epidemic has caused immeasurable harm to communities across the United States, and many are seeking accountability from those who contributed to it. The demand for answers from the National Academies is just one part of a broader movement that seeks to shine a light on the role of institutions and individuals in the crisis, and to hold them accountable for their actions. As the debate continues, it remains to be seen what impact it will have on the Sacklers and their legacy.