Oxford University Drops Sackler Family Name After Opioid Scandal

The University of Oxford is removing the name of the Sackler family, who controlled a company blamed for playing a major role in the US opioid crisis, from buildings and libraries.

(Bloomberg) — The University of Oxford is removing the name of the Sackler family, who controlled a company blamed for playing a major role in the US opioid crisis, from buildings and libraries.

The name will be taken off galleries of the Ashmolean Museum as well as from several job titles including an associate professorship.

Representatives for the Sackler family couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. The decision was made in agreement with the family, according to a statement from Oxford.

The Sacklers, whose company Purdue Pharma LP produced the blockbuster painkiller OxyContin, were for decades leading figures in global philanthropy, with their name emblazoned on museums around the world. But as Purdue became associated with the opioid crisis, organizations including the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, London’s National Gallery and the Louvre in Paris dropped their name.

Oxford’s Sackler Library will become the Bodleian Art, Archaeology and Ancient World Library. The name will be retained on the Clarendon Arch and on the Ashmolean Museum’s donor board for a historical recording of gifts to the university, Oxford said.

–With assistance from Emma Court.

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