Hulu’s ‘Dopesick’ is Fiction
Hulu’s “Dopesick” has been marketed as being based on facts. But the reality is the show is fiction.
Despite evidence proving the series was rooted in fiction, the showrunners and actors ran a calculated and extensive media campaign claiming the series was accurate.
“The deception and the dishonesty is something out of a Bond movie—the villainy of what they did. So at times it does feel it does feel really broad and kind of almost absurdist, and then it ends up that it’s all true.“
Danny Strong, Dopesick Showrunner
November 3, 2021[1]
“It’s certainly disturbing but I think it’s more disturbing when you speak to Danny [Strong] and you find out that a lot of the script is transcript, literally lifted out of the Purdue training pamphlets — there was very little dramatization.”
Will Poulter, dopesick actor
November 2, 2021[2]
“Because we were documenting the crimes of Purdue Pharma, the show needed to feel as real as possible. Anything that didn’t feel real wouldn’t fly.”
Beth Macy, author of dopesick book
November 8, 2021[3]
The following chart lists some of the provably false statements and depictions in the television series.
Examples of Errors in Hulu’s Limited Series ‘Dopesick’
False Claim
Purdue marketed OxyContin as non-addictive.
Episodes: 1, 4, 5, 6
Fact
False.
1) FDA-approved OxyContin label has always disclosed risks of abuse and addiction.
2) 2007 Agreed Statement of Facts makes clear Purdue’s violation involved some salespeople saying “less addictive” — there is no assertion of “not addictive”[4]
False Claim
Dr. Richard pushed the idea of having OxyContin approved as an uncontrolled substance in Germany and repeatedly pushed to make that happen.
Episodes: 3, 5
Fact
False. Dr. Richard Sackler was on an email chain where someone else presented the idea. He never discussed the idea with anyone again.[5]
False Claim
Purdue sought to develop OxyContin for children and Dr. Richard inquired about the status of the medication.
Episodes: 7
Fact
False. Members of the Sackler family and Purdue did not seek permission to market OxyContin to children. The Pediatric Research Equity Act requires pharmaceutical companies to conduct pediatric studies and the label was then expanded accordingly. The FDA rejected Purdue’s request not to conduct these studies (which had nothing to do with marketing) and pledged not to market the expanded label.
False Claim
Dr. Richard’s “first act as president” was “to request allotment of profits be increased significantly and distributed immediately to both A shares and B shares.”
Episodes: 5
Fact
False. Dr. Richard never promised higher distributions to family members in exchange for their support of him becoming President.
False Claim
Raymond Sackler feared Dr. Richard would go to jail on criminal charges when USA-WDVA was investigating Purdue.
Episodes: 8
Fact
False. No family members, including Dr. Richard, anticipated being charged with a crime, because they always acted legally and ethically.
False Claim
OxyContin was intended for postoperative pain and for minor injuries.
Episodes: 3, 7
Fact
False. OxyContin’s original FDA label clearly stated that “OxyContin is not recommended pre-operatively (preemptive analgesia) or for the management of pain in the immediate postoperative period (the first 12 to 24 hours following surgery) for patients not previously taking the drug, because its safety in this setting has not been established.”
False Claim
Higher overdose rates for patients prescribed OxyContin.
Episodes: 2
Fact
False. There is no data available that supports this claim.
False Claim
OxyContin was the leading cause of overdose in the United States around the year 2000.
Episodes: 4, 7
Fact
False. OxyContin has never accounted for more than 4% of prescription opioids. There is no evidence to support that an opioid with that small of a market share would be the leading cause of overdoses. A simple mathematical calculation disproves this preposterous lie. The FDA was heavily scrutinizing the risk-benefit of OxyContin at this time and never would have allowed “the leading cause of overdose in the United States” to remain on the market.
False Claim
Upper-level management at Purdue, including members of the Sackler family, knew of OxyContin’s widespread abuse in 1997 and 1998.
Episodes: 5
Fact
False. Purdue and the Sackler family took immediate action as soon as widespread abuse of OxyContin became known in 2000, including taking steps to help drug diversion and developing the ADF formula.
False Claim
Purdue was unwilling to take action to curb abuse of OxyContin, causing the DEA to step in.
Episodes: 5
Fact
False. Purdue and the Sackler family took immediate action as soon as it became known in 2000 that there was widespread abuse of OxyContin, and has led the industry in efforts to prevent abuse and diversion with more than 65 initiatives. In fact, in early 2001, Purdue reached out to the FDA and DEA to provide information, take direction and collaborate on solutions.
False Claim
Purdue created a system in which emails would automatically be deleted after they are read in order to “be extra careful with what people are putting in writing” and that Dr. Richard approved this.
Episodes: 6
Fact
Voluminous emails about this entire period have been cited in lawsuits.
False Claim
Purdue created the term “breakthrough pain” to push its sales representatives to tell doctors to “individualize” and/or “double” the dose and to increase revenue.
Episodes: 2, 3, 7
Fact
False. Purdue did not invent these terms. The concept of “breakthrough pain” was first introduced in 1990[6] prior to the creation of OxyContin, with the idea to “individualize the dose” so each patient’s pain is treated based on their individual symptoms and not with a “one size fits all” approach.
False Claim
“Pseudoaddiction” is a fake concept used by Purdue to justify selling more OxyContin.
Episodes: 4
Fact
False. The term “pseudoaddiction” was created in 1989[7] to address the “iatrogenic syndrome of abnormal behavior developing as a direct consequence of inadequate pain management.” The term is still medically recognized today.[8]
In fact, a California court[9] noted that ‘pseudoaddiction’ is a legitimate medical term in its ruling that found drug manufacturers not responsible for the state’s opioids crisis:
“Regarding ‘pseudoaddiction,’ this is a medically recognized term, describing a condition where a patient seeking more or stronger opioid medication might be doing so because their pain is undertreated, and not because they have or are developing an abuse disorder.”
False Claim
OxyContin’s 12-hour dosing does not work (and that Purdue was aware, taking steps to create the idea of “breakthrough pain.”)
Episodes: 2, 3, 4
Fact
False. FDA consistently supports the safety and efficacy of 12-hour dosing.
False Claim
Purdue and members of the Sackler family resisted or opposed the FDA issuing a Black Box warning for OxyContin.
Episodes: 7
Fact
False. By July 2001, working with the FDA, Purdue updated the OxyContin label to add a Black Box warning that further emphasized the risks of abuse (and supported adding a Black Box for the entire class of medicines as a whole), and then sent “Dear Doctor” letters to 800,000 physicians nationwide informing them about the new label.
False Claim
Purdue told its sales representatives minimize the significance of the black box warning and use language in the Black Box warning to push OxyContin harder and generate more sales.
Episodes: 7
Fact
False. Purdue voluntarily worked with the FDA to update OxyContin’s label to add a Black Box warning that further emphasized the risks of abuse.