in 2016, investigative journalists harriet ryan, lisa girion, and scott glover of the "los angeles times" published the results of their extensive investigation into oxycontin, reporting that purdue had "marketed oxycontin for its supposed ability to provide 12 hours of pain relief", which put it at a competitive advantage over other pain killers. however,"[e]ven before oxycontin went on the market, clinical trials showed many patients weren’t getting 12 hours of relief. since the drug’s debut in 1996, the company has been confronted with additional evidence, including complaints from doctors, reports from its own sales reps and independent research." in response to the series, senator edward j. markey, (d-mass) asked the doj, the fda, and the federal trade commission to launch an investigation into purdue pharma. in 2017, "purdue sold $1.74 billion of oxycontin...according to symphony health solutions".