Consulting Firm McKinsey’s Role in VA Opioid Prescriptions Sparks New Concerns Among Lawmakers – By Rachel Nostrant (Military.com) / March 13, 2024
House lawmakers are demanding answers from the Department of Veterans Affairs about consulting firm McKinsey and Company’s role in the department’s decisions to prescribe opioids to veterans while it was also advising opioid manufacturers on how to push the highly addictive pain medications for VA care.
In a Tuesday letter to the VA, which was obtained by Military.com, four congressmen said they were dismayed by the apparent conflict of interest, which was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. McKinsey consulted for the VA while also advising pharmaceutical companies such as Purdue Pharma and Endo on how to sell opioids to the department for veterans, according to the newspaper, though McKinsey denied a conflict of interest.
“It has become increasingly clear that McKinsey’s unprecedented access to VA decision making, strategy and policy formulation allowed them to exploit their consulting contracts to the benefit of their opioid manufacturer clients and to the detriment of many veterans suffering from injuries sustained during their service,” the letter said.
