(JTA) — The Sackler family, whose pharmaceutical business was implicated in perpetuating the opioid epidemic, is on board with a decision by New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art to remove the Sackler name from seven galleries in the iconic museum.
“Our families have always strongly supported The Met, and we believe this to be in the best interest of the Museum and the important mission that it serves,” the descendants of the founders of the pharmaceutical giant, Purdue Pharma, said in a joint statement with The Met.
The Met in the statement praised the Sacklers as among “our most generous supporters” said their gesture was “gracious.”
A number of beneficiaries, including museums, have cut ties with the Sackler name ever since Purdue was accused of fueling the opioid crisis with deceptive OxyContin marketing.
Mortimer and Raymond Sackler, who studied medicine abroad in the 1930s because of quotas limiting Jews from attending U.S. universities, turned Purdue into a pharmaceutical empire. A deal with the U.S. government led the Sacklers to dissolve Purdue in September and to pledge billions of dollars to address the epidemic. The Sacklers themselves are absolved of personal liability for the epidemic.
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