The U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform has released preliminary findings from its investigation into marketing firm McKinsey & Company’s role in the opioid epidemic. The investigation found that McKinsey consultants, including senior partners, were guilty of a “serious conflict of interest” based on their work marketing opioids for Purdue Pharma while simultaneously working under contracts for the federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The investigation uncovered 37 FDA contracts that were staffed by a least one McKinsey consultant who was either working simultaneously for Purdue or had done work for the drugmaker. The report presents evidence that McKinsey used its government connections to drum up business in the private sector and tried to influence federal officials to help its private sector opioid clients. Click here to view the House report: The Firm and the FDA: McKinsey & Company’s Conflicts of Interest at the Heart of the Opioid Epidemic.

Global consulting leader McKinsey & Company drew unwanted attention in 2020 when a bankruptcy proceeding revealed that it guided the marketing strategy for disgraced opioid seller Purdue Pharma.

Now McKinsey is under scrutiny from Congress after revelations that at least 22 employees who were consulting for Purdue and other opioid producers were also doing work for government agencies tasked with regulating opioid use.