Tufts University to Strip Sackler Name From Medical School

Tufts University is removing the Sackler name from its medical school facilities and programs, disassociating itself from family behind the opioid drug.

The Massachusetts school said it felt “compelled to take action by the extraordinary circumstances of this public health crisis and its impact on our mission,” according to a statement Thursday. The Sackler family founded Purdue Pharma LP, maker of the drug OxyContin.

“The Tufts University School of Medicine’s values include a commitment to relieve suffering, improve quality of life, and promote integrity and social responsibility,” President Anthony Monaco said in the statement. “Given the human toll of the opioid epidemic in which members of the Sackler family and their company Purdue Pharma are associated, it is clear that continuing to display the Sackler name is inconsistent with these values.”