On December 12, 1995, a Stamford Connecticut-based pharmaceutical company, called Purdue Pharma, received the Food and Drug Administration’s approval to distribute the opioid OxyContin. The opioid hit the market in 1996 and generated $45 million in sales for the manufacturer. By 2000, profits increased by 2,000 percent to a whopping $1.1 billion. By the time the opioid accounted for 30 percent of the painkiller market, within 10 years, the manufacturer reached $3.1 billion.
OxyContin wasn’t the first opioid on the market. Synthetic painkillers like Percocet, Vicodin and Fentanyl had already been in competition, but it was baffling as to why this pill became so popular within a short period of time.
Purdue Pharma had an interesting way of
OxyContin wasn’t the first opioid on the market. Synthetic painkillers like Percocet, Vicodin and Fentanyl had already been in competition, but it was baffling as to why this pill became so popular within a short period of time.
Purdue Pharma had an interesting way of