Get the Summary of Patrick Radden Keefe's Empire of Pain in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: The Sackler name adorns the walls of many storied institutions, Harvard, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Oxford, the Louvre. They are one of the richest families in the world, known for their lavish donations to the arts and the sciences. The source of the family fortune was vague, however, until it emerged, that the Sacklers were, responsible for making and marketing, a blockbuster painkiller that was, the catalyst for the opioid crisis.
Empire of Pain begins with the story of three doctor brothers, Raymond, Mortimer and the incalculably energetic Arthur, who weathered the poverty of the Great Depression and appalling anti-Semitism. Working at a barbaric mental institution, Arthur saw a better way and conducted groundbreaking research into drug treatments. He also had a genius for marketing, especially for pharmaceuticals, and bought a small ad firm.
