Drug spoon sculpture removed from outside Connecticut drug maker headquarters

June 22, 2018 12:00 am • Last Updated: June 23, 2018 12:05 am

An 800-pound sculpture, titled "Purdue," created by artist Domenic Esposito, is displayed outside the Connecticut headquarters of drugmaker Purdue Pharma, Friday, June 22, 2018, in Stamford. The sculpture was inspired by Esposito's brother's battle with addiction. Several state and local governments are suing Purdue Pharma for allegedly using deceptive marketing to boost sales of its opioid painkiller OxyContin, blamed for opioid overdose deaths. (Susan Dunne/Hartford Courant via AP)

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — An 800-pound, nearly 11-foot-long steel sculpture of a bent and burned drug spoon placed in front of the Connecticut headquarters of drugmaker Purdue Pharma as part of a protest against the opioid crisis has been removed.

Artist Domenic Esposito and gallery owner Fernando Alvarez dropped the sculpture outside the Stamford headquarters Friday. Police arrested Alvarez and the city hauled the sculpture away in a payloader.

Several state and local governments are suing Purdue Pharma for allegedly using deceptive marketing to boost sales of its opioid painkiller OxyContin, blamed for fueling the opioid epidemic.

Purdue Pharma denies the allegations. It says it shares protesters' concerns and respects their right to peacefully express themselves.

The sculpture is part of an exhibit on the opioid crisis that opened Friday at Alvarez's gallery in Stamford.

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