New York City and nearly two dozen New York counties have filed a lawsuit against McKinsey & Co., accusing the consulting firm of turbocharging the opioid epidemic by helping devise strategies to boost prescription sales of the addictive painkillers.
The lawsuit was filed at the state Supreme Court in Suffolk County on June 1, with the plaintiffs accusing the company of contributing to “the worst man-made epidemic in history” by playing a “major role in crafting and implementing” deceptive marketing strategies to expand sales of opioids.
McKinsey has faced similar allegations, along with a spate of lawsuits, over its past work with firms on opioid-specific business. In February, the New York-based company agreed to pay nearly $600 million in a settlement involving 47 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories. It later announced separate settlements with Washington state for $13.5 million, West Virginia for $10 million, and Nevada for $45 million.
Plaintiffs have claimed that McKinsey advised drugmakers to engage in misleading marketing about opioids’ safety and addictiveness, which they allege led to an explosion of prescriptions.
In February, then-global managing partner at McKinsey, Kevin Sneader, issued an apology for the company’s past opioid-specific consultancy work.
Amid growing backlash, McKinsey in 2019 announced it had discontinued opioid-specific work with firms.
On June 1, McKinsey said in a statement that it believes its prior settlement shelters it from the lawsuit filed by New York City and local governments.
“The funds provided by this settlement will be used by the state governments to support communities throughout those states,” McKinsey said, arguing it would push back against lawsuits that “are designed to double-dip on the state settlements.”
Opioids killed nearly half a million Americans between 1999 and 2019, according to the CDC.
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