Sackler family are fleeing New York after being shunned by New York's high ...

David and Joss Sackler, a fixture in New York's high society, have reportedly decided to flee the Big Apple and move to Florida after being shunned over their alleged role in the opioid crisis.

David's family company, Purdue Pharma, makes the addictive narcotic OxyContin and the family are accused of deceiving patients and doctors about the risks of opioids and pushing prescribers to keep patients on the drug longer.

And now, according to Page Six, the couple are selling their $6.5 million Upper East Side apartment and heading south as they relocate to Palm Beach, Florida. 

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So far, eight members of the Sackler family have been named in lawsuits brought in several states. Pictured: Mortimer Sackler and Jacqueline Sackler in September 2006

Insiders say many family members view themselves as disconnected from the opioid crisis. Pictured: Joss Sackler and Alison Bruhn in September 2017

So far, eight members of the Sackler family have been named in lawsuits brought in several states. Joss and David Sackler, Manhattan socialites are planning to flee to Florida. Pictured: Mortimer Sackler and Jacqueline Sackler in September 2006, and Joss Sackler and Alison Bruhn in September 2017

The Sackler family owns Purdue Pharma, which makes the addictive narcotic OxyContin. Pictured: Richard Sackler, son of the late Purdue Pharma co-owner Raymond Sackler

The powerful narcotic has been directly tied to the opioid crisis. Pictured: Jonathan Sackler, son of the late Purdue Pharma co-founder Raymond Sackler

The Sackler family owns Purdue Pharma, which makes the addictive narcotic OxyContin. The powerful narcotic has been directly tied to the opioid crisis. Pictured: Richard Sackler left, and Jonathan Sackler, right, children of the late Purdue Pharma co-founder Raymond Sackler

'Imagine if you had three young kids and were being accused of creating an opioid crisis . . . where would you rather live?' a source said to Page Six.

'They unfortunately symbolize all that is wrong with the epidemic. Their reputations are in the cesspool,' said a 'social insider' allegedly told The New York Post.

'There is a reluctance to hobnob and socialize [with] and openly stand next to the Sacklers. They aren't being invited to small dinners on Fifth Avenue.'

According to a 2005 study from the Washington University School of Medicine, by 2004, OxyContin became the most prevalent abused prescription opioid (file picture)

According to a 2005 study from the Washington University School of Medicine, by 2004, OxyContin became the most prevalent abused prescription opioid (file picture) 

The Sacklers are one of the wealthiest families in the world, worth around $13 billion, in part because of sales of the drug. 

Purdue reportedly paid $4 billion to the Sackler family between 2008 and 2015.

Until the scandal broke, the Sacklers were a highly respected family who mingled with the cream of New York society and fixtures on the city's social scene.

The couple were big art patrons and donors to major museums including the Met, which named a wing after them.

Joss also founded an activewear line and a wine club.

Over the years, the Sacklers have gifted various institutions with generous detonation and, in turn, have had their names stamped on buildings.

There's the Sackler Institute at Columbia University, the Sackler Center for Arts Education at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and the Sackler Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art - and that's just in New York.

But as Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers are getting dragged into more and more lawsuits, a growing number of institutions are refusing further donations - or cutting ties with the family altogether. 

A growing number of institutions are refusing further donations or cutting ties with the Sackler family altogether due to their link to the opioid crisis. Pictured: Dr Mortimer Sackler (left) and  his wife Jacqueline Sackler attend The Winter Dance 2006 Desert Oasis in New York

A growing number of institutions are refusing further donations or cutting ties with the Sackler family altogether due to their link to the opioid crisis. Pictured: Dr Mortimer Sackler (left) and  his wife Jacqueline Sackler attend The Winter Dance 2006 Desert Oasis in New York

Founder of Sackler Center First Awards Elizabeth Sackler is pictured in 2016. The family gave money to the Brooklyn Museum's Sackler Center

Founder of Sackler Center First Awards Elizabeth Sackler is pictured in 2016. The family gave money to the Brooklyn Museum's Sackler Center

OxyContin was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1995 and made available in 1996.

Drug manufacturer Edwin Thompson told CBS's 60

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