Empire of Pain
by Patrick Radden Keefe, Ricard Gil · first published 2021
93% recommend7% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Well-written multigenerational history of the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma's role in the opioid crisis, covering FDA ties and the bankruptcy. Reads like a thriller and suits readers wanting one book on the epidemic.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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Having read Empire of Pain: the Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe, which heartbreaking and outraging- one of the biggest surprises for me in that book was how the Sacklers literally hired and FDA commissioner…
on “Where is the scrutiny over FDA’s role in the overdose epidemic?” ↗I recommend Patrick Radden Keefe's new book Empire of Pain https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43868109-empire-of-pain
on “Judge tosses $4.5B deal shielding Purdue's Sackler family from opioid claims” ↗Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe. Extremely well written history of Sackler family detailing their involvement in the opioid epidemic and inner workings of FDA. Bad blood by John Carreyrou.
on “Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?” ↗Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe. It's the story of the Sackler family, but reads like a thriller and deals with policy failure, addiction, family, greed, capitalism and corruption. I've been recommending it…
on “Ask HN: Which are the most interesting books you have read in 2022?” ↗Obligatory book recommendation: Empire of Pain https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43868109-empire-of-pain At the end, it goes a bit into how to bankruptcy and settlements were structured. This family cannot do anything that isn't super shady...
on “US Supreme Court Halts Purdue’s $6B Opioid Pact, Will Hear Appeal” ↗> I’ve only ever see Prozac as a part of a turn for the worse. You might be interested in the book "Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty"[1] by Patrick Radden Keefe. Although it focuses on Oxycodone and other painkillers it touch on Prozac and other SSRI's. Quite the eye opener... [1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Pain
on “Psychedelic Mushrooms Hit the Market in Oregon” ↗…about failed/declining companies. Here is my list: Bad Blood (Theranos) Barbarians at the Gate (RJR Nabisco) The Smartest Guys in the Room (Enron) When Genius Failed (Long Term Capital Management) Empire of Pain (Purdue Pharma) Lights Out (GE) [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29789137
on “Ask HN: Favorite books about failed/declining companies?” ↗I’ve just finished reading Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty , and I highly recommend it. An amazing multi generational history of how the Sacklers inflicted opioids on the US, made a fortune, and got away with no consequence.…
on “My experience of losing a friend to heroin (2020)” ↗…a financial crime (and not get away with it) - Chip War: very relevant look into the production of computer chips, highlights the reliance on only a few companies and the incredible costs involved - Empire of Pain: also a favourite, goes into the Sackler family and how they built Perdue Pharma and then proceeded to cause the devastating opioid epidemic - The Power Broker: a classic about Robert Moses who basically…
on “Mark Zuckerberg overruled 18 wellbeing experts to keep beauty filters on Insta” ↗…opioids: if you want to learn how one family and their company caused arguably the biggest ongoing public health crisis in the US, but you only have the time to read one book on the subject, it should be Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty. To say that Perdue Pharma caused the crisis seems too strong. The crisis was caused by people making bad decisions against a background of economic and social…
on “You’ve Never Seen the Opioid Crisis Like This Before: A Review of Empire of Pain” ↗As someone who struggled as well to put myself in the mindset and having just finished reading Empire of Pain which documents the Sackler Family and Purdue's responsibility in the opioid epidemic. It might be worth reading through it to view a mindset that has developed around pharmaceutical companies and doctors…
on “Pfizer board member suggests end to mask, vaccine mandates” ↗…discovered Patrick Radden Keefe's writing this past year, and loved his writing style enough to immediately pick up a second of his books. Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty I've also been listening to a lot of audiobooks and was really impressed by Rosamund Pike's reading of The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan (Book 2 of the Wheel…
on “Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2022?” ↗Additionally, I recommend the book Empire of Pain for an excellent deep dive into the Sackler family and how they essentially created the opioid epidemic. You'll be infuriated as you read it.
on “Supreme Court blocks controversial Purdue Pharma opioid settlement” ↗+1 An amazing read and I also highly recommend it https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Pain
on “Supreme Court blocks controversial Purdue Pharma opioid settlement” ↗Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty is a 2021 book by Patrick Radden Keefe. The author tells how the early sacklers, while working in a psychiatric hospital, were so horrified by electroshock…
on “Now seen as barbaric, lobotomies won him a Nobel Prize in 1949” ↗