Puerto Rico to get $4.3M from McKinsey & Co. opioid case settlement
The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is among 47 states, the District of Columbia, and four territories that will split $573 million from that consulting firm McKinsey & Co. entered into to settle claims that it “fueled” the country’s opioid crisis.
Puerto Rico will get a little more than $4.3 million, said Justice Secretary Domingo Emanuelli, who joined a coalition of his peers from the states and territories.
Puerto Rico’s share is after paying associated costs, and will be used to address problems caused by opioid abuse, he said. This is the first agreement that results in a substantial payment to states to address the epidemic.
The lawsuit that was filed details how McKinsey advised Purdue to maximize profits from its opioid products, including targeting high-volume opioid prescribers, using direct messages for physicians to prescribe OxyContin to more patients, and circumventing pharmacy restrictions to deliver high dose prescriptions.
“The opioid epidemic has caused considerable damage to individuals and communities in Puerto Rico. As a consequence, Puerto Rican citizens have died,” the Puerto Rico Justice Department said in a statement.
“Economically, they have created considerable costs for Puerto Rico in the form of health care, child welfare, criminal justice, and many other programs necessary to reduce the epidemic,” it stated.
The agency, through its Office of Monopolistic Affairs, continues to investigate and litigate against other companies that are also responsible for the opioid epidemic that has caused the loss of life, said Emanuelli, adding that he “will spare no effort in bringing all those responsible to justice.”
