As the People’s Attorney here in Oregon, I'm committed to working on behalf of those who have been harmed by the opioid epidemic that has swept through our state and nation. Last year alone (mid-2019--mid-2020), nearly 81,000 Americans died from drug overdoses — most of those opioids. This past week my office helped lead a multi-state coalition of 53 Attorneys General reach a massive, multi-hundred-million dollar settlement with McKinsey, a huge global consulting firm. Our settlement holds McKinsey accountable for their part in this national tragedy.
McKinsey’s role was to devise marketing strategies to enable pharmaceutical companies to sell more pills — thereby getting more and more Americans hooked on opioids. This settlement is just one step forward — but is extremely important. Now, the state will have millions of dollars to spend immediately on prevention and treatment for Oregonians with substance-use disorders. In addition, McKinsey has agreed to give the public online access to tens of thousands of documents, so that we all can see exactly what tactics they used in pushing these pills so irresponsibly.
Previously, we sued Purdue Pharma, the leading opioid manufacturer, and the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, for their even more harmful roles in this tragedy. Those lawsuits are ongoing. And many other pharmaceutical companies, as well as opioid distributors, must be held to account.
As you can see, there remains much more to be done on this issue, and my AG colleagues and I intend to be relentless in working to hold Big Pharma accountable for their role. For now, the settlement of the McKinsey case stands out as a landmark victory. The harm that resulted from McKinsey’s marketing savvy was just plain devastating — and their role was flat-out unconscionable.
This important work continues,
Ellen
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Elect Ellen Rosenblum for Attorney General
PO Box 42307
Portland, OR 97242
United States
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