According to a new Congressional report, more than 20 McKinsey consulting firm employees worked for the U.S. government on issues related to the opioid epidemic while doing the same type of consulting for major opiate manufacturers such as Purdue Pharma .
McKinsey, one of the world’s most prestigious consulting firms, has been working with pharmaceutical manufacturers and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for years, creating a “serious conflict of interest” for the company, according to the report. . The report also found that McKinsey officials used his contract with the government to do even more consulting work with private companies.
The U.S. House Oversight Committee, which released the 53-page report on Wednesday, said McKinsey did not disclose its disputes to the FDA. Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney called McKinsey’s actions “huge” and said the company must be held accountable for its actions.
“Today’s report shows that while the FDA relied on McKinsey’s advice to ensure the safety of drugs and protect American lives, the company was also paid by the same companies that fed the deadly epidemic of “Opioids to help prevent tougher regulation of these dangerous drugs,” Maloney said in a statement.
In a statement posted on his website on April 13, McKinsey defended his work as “lawful,” but added that it “did not meet the high standards we set.”
Opioid overdoses claimed half a million deaths between 1999 and 2019, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. OxyContin, manufactured by Purdue Pharma, was billed by the company at the time as safe to use. around the clock, which prompted doctors to prescribe the drug for chronic pain and injury. But OxyContin and other highly addictive drugs classified as opioids have trapped countless Americans in addiction cycles, causing millions of lives to be broken and killed.
Victims of the epidemic stated at a virtual hearing against Purdue Pharma in March. The extraordinary bankruptcy court hearing put two dozen victims or their relatives in a direct confrontation with three members of the Sackler family who own Purdue Pharma. Purdue Pharma and other pharmaceutical companies have paid billions in liquidations for their role fueling the opioid crisis.
McKinsey himself paid a $ 573 million settlement its role in helping opioid manufacturers promote their drugs to the Americans.
McKinsey acknowledged in his statement that some staff members consulted opioid manufacturers and the FDA simultaneously, but added that his consulting work for the FDA was not drug-related.
“McKinsey’s work for the FDA has focused on administrative and operational issues, including improvements in organizational structures, business processes, and technology,” the statement said. “We have not advised the FDA on regulatory decisions or on specific pharmaceuticals.”
Sale of information from regulators to drug manufacturers
In his statement, McKinsey added that he plans to cooperate with the House committee to address any additional questions. The company said it reviews conflicts of interest when doing government consulting work, but “if possible conflicts cannot be properly addressed, we will not do the job.”
The report found that McKinsey completed 76 consulting contracts with the FDA between 2008 and 2022, which cost the company $ 140 million. Between 2004 and 2019, McKinsey completed 75 contracts with Purdue Pharma or its subsidiaries, according to the report. Some of the McKinsey employees who consulted for both the FDA and Purdue Pharma included senior consultants Navjot Singh and Jeff Smith, according to the report.
The committee’s report also states that McKinsey tried to persuade opiate manufacturers on three separate occasions, via email and in-person submissions, to sign up for additional consulting contracts focused on increasing opioid sales. .
In an incident in 2009, McKinsey made a slide show showing his abilities to a group of drug manufacturers. In a point detailing his experience, McKinsey states that he “has directly supported regulatory bodies and, as such, has developed knowledge about the prospects of regulators themselves.”
McKinsey said in a statement that he stopped advising clients on opioid-related issues in 2019.
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- Opioid epidemic
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