How I Exposed the Biggest Pharma Scandal of Our Lifetime
Purdue Pharma boss Richard Sackler (back row, second from left, with other members of the Sackler family) still claims he was unaware of his company’s crimes. (Photo illustration by The Free Press)
Netflix hit ‘Painkiller’ shows how Purdue Pharma’s greed and deceit fueled a nationwide opioid epidemic. Barry Meier was the first to uncover the truth.
When I walked into the diner my source was already there, sitting in a booth. It was late summer of 2001 and, earlier that year, I had started writing articles for The New York Times about the growing abuse of a then little-known painkiller, OxyContin. Its maker, Purdue Pharma, was promoting the powerful narcotic to doctors as a “wonder” drug that was f…
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