Opioid addiction has long been a problem in the United States. Lawmakers are now pursuing drug companies, including Purdue Pharma, that developed and marketed pain-killer OxyContin. Purdue is wholly owned by a family better known to the public, as donors to countless arts and science institutions. Karina Huber has more from New York.

Since the late 1990s, hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost their lives to opioid overdoses. In 2017, the number of deaths was more than 72,000. 

DONALD TRUMP US PRESIDENT "The opioid crisis is an emergency and I'm saying officially it's a national emergency. We're going to spend a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of money on the opioid crisis."

Addiction experts like Andrew Kolodny say Purdue Pharma, that created and marketed the painkiller oxycontin in 1995, bears the lion's share of the blame for the current crisis.

In 2007, Purdue plead guilty to federal felony charges admitting it had intentionally misled the medical community and regulators about its potency and addictiveness.

Today dozens of cities, counties and more than 25 states are suing Purdue and other pharma giants for their role in the opioid crisis.

Purdue is owned by members of the Sackler family now worth a reported three billion dollars largely because of blockbuster sales of Oxy. The family itself is now facing legal action for its role in the crisis. It could face more lawsuits. It is a name that is well-known in elite circles.

KARINA HUBER NEW YORK "Some of the most prestigious arts and academic institutions around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art here in New York have whole wings named after the Sackler family. The question now is whether that name will become more of a liability than an asset."

Anand Giridharadas, author of "Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World" says the Sacklers have actively sought to launder their reputation through philanthropy.

ANAND GIRIDHARADAS AUTHOR OF 'WINNERS TAKE ALL' "Their use of philanthropy to burnish a name that might otherwise be associated with shame illustrates a central tactic of our age, which is make money in the billions with a 'b' creating social harm and then give money in the million with an 'm' to causes they'll put your name on to obscure the harm that you did and kind of buy you immunity from justice."

As Purdue is under greater scrutiny in the U.S., it is focused on developing other markets, most notably China, through its subsidiary MundiPharma.

Karina Huber, CGTN, New York.