McKinsey earlier reached separate agreements totaling nearly $US1 billion ($1.5 billion) to settle widespread opioid lawsuits and other related legal actions brought by all 50 states, Washington, DC, US territories, various local governments, school districts, Native American tribes and health insurers.

McKinsey in 2019 said it would no longer advise clients on any opioid-related businesses. None of the settlements have contained admissions of liability or wrongdoing, McKinsey has said.

“We understand and accept the scrutiny around our past client service to opioid manufacturers. This work, while lawful, fell short of the high standards we set for ourselves,” McKinsey said in a 2022 statement following the release of a congressional committee report scrutinising its work.

Purdue did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The drugmaker pleaded guilty in 2020 to criminal charges over its handling of opioid painkillers. Purdue filed for bankruptcy in 2019 and later negotiated a settlement valued at about $US10 billion to settle thousands of lawsuits alleging it contributed to the opioid epidemic.

The Supreme Court halted that settlement and is soon expected to rule on a Biden administration challenge to the deal.

Prosecutors are far from making any charging decisions in their criminal investigation of McKinsey, in part because they are sifting through voluminous documents as part of their inquiry and engaging in discussions with the consulting firm’s lawyers, one of the people said.

Reuters

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