Britain's Oxford University cuts ties with Sackler family over opioid links

Britain's University of Oxford chopped ties with cardinal benefactor the Sackler family, whose wealthiness derives from addictive opioid drugs and basal accused of helping substance a U.S. epidemic.

The determination to portion the family's sanction from 2 galleries successful the Ashmolean Museum, a assemblage library, and 3 unit positions, follows an probe earlier this twelvemonth by the university's caller vice-chancellor, Irene Tracey.

It comes aft continued disapproval of the British institution's retention of the name, adjacent arsenic different cardinal bodies specified arsenic the British Museum and the Victoria & Albert (V&A) axed their Sackler links successful caller years.

Some members of the billionaire Sackler household are known for founding and owning Purdue Pharma, the pharmaceutical elephantine that produces Oxycontin — a medicine painkiller that has been wide blamed for helping substance the U.S. opioid crisis.

The assemblage said that the move, which was approved by its governing assembly Monday, had besides received the "full support" of the Sackler family.

"Oxford University has undertaken a reappraisal of its narration with the Sackler household and their trusts, including the mode their benefactions to the University are recognized," the assemblage said successful a statement.

"Following this review, the University has decided that the University buildings, spaces and unit positions utilizing the Sackler sanction volition nary longer bash so," it said.

As portion of the move, the Sackler room volition beryllium renamed arsenic the Bodleian Art, Archaeology and Ancient World Library.

However, the Sackler sanction volition beryllium retained connected the Clarendon Arch and connected the Ashmolean Museum's donor committee for the purposes of "historical signaling of donations to the university."

The assemblage besides said that each donations received from the Sackler household and their trusts volition beryllium retained for their intended acquisition purposes, but that nary caller donations person been received from either the household oregon their trusts since January 2019.

In 2019, the Louvre successful Paris removed the Sackler rubric from 1 of its wings, portion successful 2021 New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art chopped the sanction from 7 accumulation spaces, including the helping that houses the Temple of Dendur.