 Painkiller has dropped on Netflix and takes viewers on a deep drive into the United States opioid epidemic. Starring Matthew Broderick as Purdue Pharma chief Richard Sackler, the drama is a harrowing tale based on a true story which saw the company found partly responsible for the epidemic by misleading the public about how addictive OxyContin was. The series focuses on the events that led to the crisis, and also stars West Duchovny as Shannon Shaeffer, who was tasked with selling the painkillers to doctors. As with any drama like this, some events will be given a twist for television, but the series does take its lead from two key pieces of literature. It uses both Barry Meier's book Pain Killer and Patrick Radden Keefe's New Yorker piece The Family That Built The Empire of Pain as sources, and the two men have producer credits. Here is everything you need to know about the true story behind Painkiller. What is Painkiller about and is it a true story? In the show's press notes, producer Alex Gibey explained his outlook on the crisis and the series' approach to it, as it drew inspiration from the two key pieces of writing. 'The crisis wasn't something that just happened, like a hurricane or a flood,' he said. 'It was something that was manufactured; manufactured by companies looking to make an egregious profit. I realised that this opioid crisis I've been hearing so much about was not just a crisis, it was really a crime.' To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the epidemic began in the US in the late 990s as opioids were being increasingly prescribed for pain management. This saw a rise in overall use, and the there was an over-prescription and abuse of prescription drugs. The Sackler family have been linked with the crisis, and Broderick's char){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
Painkiller has dropped on Netflix and takes viewers on a deep drive into the United States opioid epidemic.
Starring Matthew Broderick as Purdue Pharma chief Richard Sackler, the drama is a harrowing tale based on a true story which saw the company found partly responsible for the epidemic by misleading the public about how addictive OxyContin was.
The series focuses on the events that led to the crisis, and also stars West Duchovny as Shannon Shaeffer, who was tasked with selling the painkillers to doctors.
As with any drama like this, some events will be given a twist for television, but the series does take its lead from two key pieces of literature.