Addiction is rare · Closed Door

Public

Purdue Pharma / OxyContin marketing · 1996-2007

Detailing, ads, CME

“Addiction is rare when opioids are used to treat pain. Less than one percent. The drug is a revolution in chronic-pain care.”

Private

Purdue and Sackler family communications · late 1990s–2000s

Internal mail later in UCSF / litigation

“Internal files treat addiction as a messaging constraint — something to play down, reassign to “abusers,” and keep off the sales story.”

Rare is a public rate. Messaging constraint is a private one. The science staff and the sales staff were not given the same number.

The tell · If addiction is a branding problem, the medical claim is already split.

How this became public: Opioid litigation productions; UCSF Industry Documents Library.