OxyContin Manufacturer Co-Owner Jonathan Sackler Dies at 65

Jonathan Sackler, co-owner of OxyContin manufacturer Purdue Pharma, died from cancer last week, according to The Associated Press.

The company continues to seek bankruptcy protection to settle lawsuits in connection to the company's role in igniting opioid epidemic.

Sackler, whose father Raymond Sackler bought Purdue Frederick in 1952, served on the company's executive board member and led the company's name change to Purdue Pharma. He died last week, the company confirmed Monday.

The Purdue Pharma is looking for bankruptcy protection against an at least $3 billion settlement after getting hit with nearly 3,000 lawsuits from state and local governments in connection to the deaths of more than 400,000 Americans who used OxyContin. 

Since 2000, OxyContin is attributed to the deaths of more than 400,000 Americans. 

In 2019, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York began turning down donations from the Sackler family in response to the outrage connected to the OxyContin deaths.

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