McKinsey Apologizes for Its Work With OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma

Consulting firm McKinsey & Company issued an apology this week for its work with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, The New York Times reports.

McKinsey was criticized for its role in the opioid crisis after documents released in a federal bankruptcy court revealed that the firm advised members of the Sackler family, the owners of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma, to consider giving the company’s distributors a rebate for every overdose attributable to the pills they sold.

McKinsey estimated how many customers of companies including Anthem and CVS might overdose. The consulting firm projected that in 2019, there would be 2,484 CVS customers who would either have an overdose or would develop an opioid use disorder. If CVS were given a rebate of $14,810 per “event,” Purdue would pay CVS $36.8 million that year.

“As we look back at our client service during the opioid crisis, we recognize that we did not adequately acknowledge the epidemic unfolding in our communities or the terrible impact of opioid abuse and addiction on millions of families across the country,” McKinsey said in a statement.