Lawmakers scrutinize McKinsey’s opioid, FDA consulting work
WASHINGTON • House Democrats vowed to continue investigating consulting giant McKinsey’s work with opioid drugmakers after a Wednesday hearing detailed how the firm had advised companies pushing painkillers as well as U.S. health regulators.
The hearing before a House committee is part of a probe into McKinsey’s role in the U.S. opioid crisis that has been linked to over 500,000 overdose deaths from both prescription pain medications and illicit drugs like fentanyl. McKinsey’s top executive challenged some of the committee’s findings but said the company has overhauled how it does business and no longer works with opioid manufacturers, including OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma.
“I’ve apologized for our work for Purdue and other opioid manufacturers and we fully recognize it fell short of our standards,” said Bob Sternfels in testimony before the House Oversight and Reform Committee. He said the company would continue cooperating with investigators.
Last year the consulting powerhouse agreed to pay $600 million to settle lawsuits over its work advising opioid makers, though it admitted no wrongdoing. Lawmakers questioned Sternfels for three hours about revelations that his company allowed consultants working for Purdue Pharma to simultaneously advise the Food and Drug Administration, the agency tasked with overseeing drug safety.
“McKinsey was advising both the fox and the hen-house — and getting paid by both,” said Chairwoman Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y. ”Clearly, McKinsey should not be setting strategy for both drug companies and the FDA.”
A preliminary report from the committee found 22 McKinsey consultants who worked for both the FDA and an opioid manufacturer over the span of a decade. The overlapping work included McKinsey staffers advising the FDA on overhauling its drug safety division, according to the committee’s review of thousands of company documents. Meanwhile, McKinsey consultants recommended “cash prizes” and “unrivaled recognition” for top OxyContin sales reps to increase Purdue’s revenue, according to a 2013 strategy presentation released Wednesday.
Lawmakers heard conflicting accounts of whether McKinsey’s work helped Purdue avoid FDA regulation. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, testifying remotely, said that her state’s own investigation into McKinsey uncovered emails recommending Purdue “band together” with other drugmakers in ’09 to “defend against strict FDA treatment.”
FILE — OxyContin pills arranged for a photo at a pharmacy, Feb. 19, 2013 in Montpelier, Vt. A top McKinsey executive is set to answer congressional questions about his company’s consulting work for the Food and Drug Administration even as it advised opioid drugmakers on boosting sales. The hearing before a House committee is part of an investigation into the consulting giant’s role in the opioid crisis that has been linked to 500,000 overdose deaths. Congressional investigators recently reported that McKinsey allowed its staffers to simultaneously advise opioid drugmakers like Purdue Pharma and their federal regulator, the FDA. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot, File)
