Dr. J. David Haddox is the head pain specialist at Purdue Pharma, working on behalf of the Sackler family to sell OxyContin as an effective, non-addictive painkiller. Haddox plays a key role in spreading false information for the company, often citing an outdated source that allegedly proves that OxyContin isn’t addictive. He is known to harass journalists who cover opioid-related crime and ultimately acts as the face of Purdue’s misleading marketing campaign for OxyContin.
Dr. J. David Haddox Quotes in Dopesick
The Dopesick quotes below are all either spoken by Dr. J. David Haddox or refer to Dr. J. David Haddox. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Back Bay Books edition of Dopesick published in 2018.
Chapter 1
Quotes
In the United States of Amnesia, as Gore Vidal once called it, there were people in history who might have expressed skepticism over Haddox’s claim, had anyone bothered reading up on them. Ever since the Neolithic humans figured out that the juice nestled inside the head of a poppy could be dried, dehydrated, and smoked for the purposes of getting high or getting well, depending on your point of view, opium had inspired all manner of commerce and conflict.
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Dr. J. David Haddox Character Timeline in Dopesick
The timeline below shows where the character Dr. J. David Haddox appears in Dopesick. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...the drug heavily through their extensive network of salespeople. To advertise it, Dr. J. David Haddox, head pain specialist at Purdue, claimed that iatrogenic (meaning doctor-caused) addiction was extremely rare.
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History, however, provides several reasons to be skeptical about Haddox’s claims about OxyContin’s lack of addictive properties. Even Neolithic humans understood the power of poppy...
(full context)
Chapter 2
...Purdue directly, writing increasingly pointed letters. Purdue remains resistant. At one point, Purdue's medical director, Haddox, calls a local Virginia reporter to complain about her crime coverage (which mentions connections to...
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...about crimes related to the opioid epidemic, Van Zee has a chance to speak with Haddox. Despite Van Zee’s concerns and accusations, Haddox defends Purdue’s behavior and says it’s no different...
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Chapter 5
...tried to rob a bank. He is sentenced to prison in 2011. His mother, Laura Hadden, tries to get the local newspaper to draw attention to the issue, but they ignore...
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Years later, Brandon is released from prison. Laura Hadden begins a new round of advocacy. Though Brandon seems to be adjusting well to life...
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Kristi faces a similar situation to Hadden, but she didn’t encounter Hadden’s advocacy. Kristi knows her son has a serious problem, and...
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Chapter 12
Haddox of Purdue Pharma gives a speech about how his company is making opioids safer. Opioids...
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