Mass. AG Says Family Behind Purdue Pharma Pushed Painkillers Even As Overdose Deaths Rose

There were over 2,000 opioid-related deaths in Massachusetts in 2017 out of the 72,000 opioid-related deaths nationwide.

In a new memo, Attorney General Maura Healey alleges the Sackler family, which owns OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma, aggressively pushed the painkiller in the state even after employees told the family that opioid-related overdose deaths had tripled.

Christine Willmsen, WBUR's Senior Investigative Editor-Reporter. She tweets @christinesea.