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Home > TV Shows > TV Features > Is Dopesick Really Based On A True Story?

Is Dopesick Really Based On A True Story?

Some movies and shows are inspired by true events, does Dopesick fall into that category? Read to know more.

by Khushi Mishra
Tuesday, 13 June 2023, 10:38 IST
Is dopesick based on a true story

Source: Cine Drop

Is Dopesick based on a true story? Dopesick’s Background: Dopesick is a scripted drama tv series created by Danny Strong and based on the non-fiction book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy. The series takes viewers into the core of America’s struggle and opioid addiction issue, from the boardrooms of Big Pharma to a distressed Virginia mining community.

The first three episodes episode in the eight-episode series came out on October 13th, 2021, and it did stream weekly on Hulu. Dopesick aims at “the epicenter for America’s struggle to overcome opioid addiction crisis,” specifically OxyContin.This story investigates how one company triggered the worst drug epidemic in American history.

Dopesick is based on a true and factually accurate storyline, and the vital resource is Beth Macy’s book.

What Is The Meaning Of Dopesick?

What Is The Meaning Of Dopesick
Source: Drug Rehab and Treatment

This takes on four years of research on opioids and their effects in the drug world. It examines a new report which has emerged from the judicial system of the U.S. Department of Justice and involves DEA agents.

The Hulu series takes viewers to the epicenter of the American struggle to overcome opioid addiction from corporate boardrooms to distressed Virginia mining communities and into the hallways of the DEA,” the website said.

Richard Sackler And The Birth Of Oxycontin

Richard Sackler And The Birth Of Oxycontin
Source: The New York Times

The Guardian says the story has “three segments.” One concern was the company Purdue Pharma and its founder and billionaire Richard Sackler. The character in “Dopesick” is introduced on-screen by Coen Brothers’ regular collaborator Michael Stuhlbarg, who intensely plays him as a Bond villain, per NPR’s Eric Deggans, a portrayal many commentators have criticized.

Raymond and his son Mortimer purchased Purdue Pharmaceutical Company in 1952, and Sacker inherited the company. The two doctors were both psychiatrists and had options together.

Is Richard Sackler Actually How He Has Portrayed In The Show?

Richard Sackler Actually How He Has Portrayed In The Show dopesick
Source: Vanity Fair

In his show, Richard Sackler has the ruthless desire to promote OxyContin despite the consequences and collateral damages. I wonder if the man is real or not, if there is a real man who exists?

This character has been developed through extensive research and analysis of the interviews that portrayed Richard Sackler in the real world. The firm even contacted his former employee to gain more insight into his personality. But he is also somewhat unknown in real life. Although his character has research, much of his characters are based on speculation because they have nothing to learn.

Is Keaton’s Character-Based On Real Doctors?

Is Keaton's Character-Based On Real Doctors
Source: The Wrap

Michael Keaton stars as Samuel Finn in “Dopesick.” The physician is from an isolated mine town in Virginia. Purdue Pharma convinced His doctor salesman that the drug oxycontin should be prescribed to all patients.

During his patients’ addictions, he also became increasingly dependent. Samuel Finnix is unreal, and you need not find a single individual. Many doctors have shared similar tales and played a role in forming Finnix’s character on TV. He doesn’t come from one real person but from several doctors who shared the same stories with him.

How Will Dopesick The Show End?

How Will Dopesick The Show End
Source: The Cinemaholic

Dopesick creator Danny Strong explained that the show was required to accurately depict the key events in the development and marketing of Oxycontin drug to minimize the risk of legal backlash.

It is still early to say how the case ends and if Purdue Pharma executives are facing charges. The report could also show that the Sacklers were able to escape the lawsuits to maintain their own lives.

This show shows the severity of a major crisis. It all depends on what the author has done with this important consequence in the dramatization of the situation.

The Truth Of Dr. Samuel Finnix

The Truth Of Dr. Samuel Finnix
Source: The Cinemaholic

Anyone who has followed the news in recent times is well aware of the opioid epidemic. However, you might be wondering if the people and tales in “Dopesick” are from real events or if they are fictional. Looking at the characters in “Dopesick” is the key to solving this question. Dr. Samuel Finnix is one of them. Richard Sackler became president of Purdue Pharmaceuticals in 2000, whose success helped to create a wave of addiction amongst opioid users.

He isn’t based on a single doctor in a Virginia coal-mining country dispensing OxyContin to his patients. Rather, he is a stand-in for a large number of real-life doctors who have prescribed the medicine to their patients.

According to The NY Times, Sackler is responsible for aggressively marketing the drug to chronic pain consumers. This claim is misleading and was supported by citing approvals by the FDA in 1995. In an interview with the US Daily, Michael Keaton said he enjoyed working as Dr. Samuel Fenix in starring roles in Dopesick’s lead roles.

Related: Dopesick on Hulu: All You Should Know Before Watching It Without Spoilers

Why Did The Fda Approve Oxycontin?

In “Dopesick,” Richardsackler claims that OxyContin has reduced its highly addictive qualities, were not true. OxyContin remains one of those addictive drugs and is dangerous to the health of people. “The drug,” he said, is dangerous, and doctors are not going to prescribe this medication.

It is a new painkiller; FDA approved it for clinical use in patients suffering from chronic pain, and it has a low cost.

Over the last few decades, many people have wondered why this happened. But today, the answer is shocking.

What Happened To Sacklers In Real Life?

What Happened To Sacklers In Real Life
Source: YouTube

The Sackler family had several suits involving Purdue Pharma, but nothing happened. The Sackler family continues to be the richest in America.

Their total assets might be around 10 billion, so their situation seems fairly settled. In 2021 the jury ruled the Sackler family could be immune for a lifetime from civil liability. The case has also contested the ruling by the courts. We are aware that riches do not always exist. That made me feel like they still existed.

Danny’s Words: Are The Characters Based On Real-life People. Is Dopesick Based On A True Story?

Strong told NPR, “I could squeeze a lot more of these experiences into these arcs with fewer characters and get even more true stories into the program.” “I wouldn’t be bound by the truth of one person’s life if I fictionalized it.” I had the freedom to utilize as many anecdotes as I liked. And I could accomplish a higher, more universal truth.” Was Beth Macy a part of the production of Dopesick?

Related: Dopesick on Hulu: What is the Buzz About?

FAQS:

DOPESICK is based on a true story of the opioid crisis that happened in American history

1. What is the name of another book based on this opioid crisis? 

A new book by Patrick Radden Keefe, titled “Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty,” is also based on a true story and opioid crisis.

2. What did Marcy say about Dopesick in her recent interview?

Yes. Throughout Season 1, Dopesick’s writers’ room involved Macy. While working on the series with the characters, she claims to have discovered fresh facts concerning the disease.

“As we worked on this show, ever more records [about Big Pharma scams, the opioid crisis, and victims] were coming out,” Macy told NPR. “Some papers were leaked to us, but others were simply part of these extremely detailed court filings from attorneys general… that we have been able to see.”

“I am hopeful that once people start understanding how we have all been stigmatizing people who use drugs, that maybe our system will catch up with that,” Macy told NPR in a recent interview.

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Khushi Mishra

Khushi Mishra

In addition to studying Business Management at Symbiosis Centre For Management Studies, Pune, I am an enthusiastic team player with good communication skills. I am particularly interested in writing poems and blogs. Also, I am passionate about entrepreneurship and am always open to new opportunities.

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