McKinsey to pay $650m to settle opioid charges

Prosecutors said the company gave Purdue Pharma advice on how to "turbocharge" sales of OxyContin.

British Broadcasting CorporationWatch LiveHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthVideoLiveAudioWeatherNewslettersMcKinsey to pay $650m to settle opioid chargesReutersOxyContin is a brand name for the painkiller oxycodone hydrochlorideConsulting firm McKinsey has agreed to pay $650m (£515m) to settle criminal charges related to its role in the US opioid crisis.

The company "knowingly and intentionally" conspired with pharmaceutical firm Purdue Pharma to "aid and abet the misbranding of prescription drugs... without valid prescriptions", according to the US Department of Justice.

McKinsey faced charges of conspiring to misbrand a drug and obstructing justice. Prosecutors said it gave Purdue Pharma advice on how to "turbocharge" sales of OxyContin, a brand name for the painkiller oxycodone hydrochloride.

McKinsey apologised in a statement, saying "we should have appreciated the harm opioids were causing in our society".

Former McKinsey senior partner Martin Elling is also set to plead guilty to obstruction for destroying records related to the case.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gxr27kx6po

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