The V&A Dundee has removed a plaque recognising the financial contribution of the billionaire family accused of creating a drug crisis killing thousands in the U.S.
Dundee’s flagship attraction received a donation of £500,000 from the Sackler Trust, the philanthropic arm of the Sackler family, before it opened in 2018.
The contribution had been recognised by a plaque hung in the museum’s entrance hall alongside the names of other notable financial donors.
However the V&A Dundee had been under pressure to sever ties with the family due to their role in the opioid crisis ravaging the States.
Sackler family central to Netflix series
The Sacklers’ role in the epidemic has now been documented in a new Netflix series starring Matthew Broderick – famed for his leading role in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Painkiller, which was released on the streaming site earlier this month, centres on Purdue Pharma and its former president Richard Sackler, played by Broderick.
The V&A Dundee has now confirmed the sign recognising their financial contribution was taken down this month – meaning all trace of the Sackler family has been erased from the museum.
A spokesperson for V&A Dundee said: “There is no Sackler related signage in V&A Dundee.
“Signage was removed from the Oak Room in the Scottish Design Galleries in September 2022 and elsewhere in August 2023.”
More than 760,000 people in the U.S have died since 1999 from a drug overdose, with statistics showing nearly 75% of drug overdose deaths in 2020 involved an opioid.
The origins of the problem has largely been blamed on the powerful painkiller OxyContin, which was created by the Sacklers’ company Perdue Pharma.
OxyContin, which was introduced in the 1990s, was aggressively marketed as a non-addictive painkiller.
However the company has has since pleaded guilty to charges relating to its opioid marketing and in May, the Sackler family agreed to pay a $6 billion settlement after facing thousands of lawsuits.
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