OxyContin’s Maker Is Still Flourishing In China

BYSy Mukherjee

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Good afternoon, readers.

The opioid addiction crisis that’s killed or otherwise sickened millions of Americans has galvanized significant backlash. Alleged perpetrators range from drug developers to drug distributors to, well, the health care system at large.

For instance—Purdue Pharma, the private firm operated by the Sackler clan and the maker of the powerful painkiller OxyContin, was driven to bankruptcy proceedings in the U.S. this year over its alleged false claims and aggressive marketing tactics for the opioid.

But the Associated Press reports that these same tactics are being played out in countries like China via affiliated firms like Mundipharma. That can include claims that, say, OxyContin isn’t quite as addictive as other opioid treatments thanks to its extended-release formula.

We’ll update this post if Purdue or Mundipharma responds to a request for comment.

Read on for the day’s news.

Sy Mukherjee
sayak.mukherjee@fortune.com
@the_sy_guy

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