Utah Attorney General announces million dollar settlement in opioid fight

FILE - This Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013 file photo shows pills of the painkiller hydrocodone at a pharmacy in Montpelier, Vt. Accidental overdoses aren't the only deadly risk from using powerful prescription painkillers _ the drugs may also contribute to heart-related deaths and other fatalities, according to research published Tuesday, June 14, 2016. "As bad as people think the problem of opioid use is, it's probably worse," said Wayne Ray, the lead author and a health policy professor at Vanderbilt University's medical school. (AP Photo/Toby Talbot)

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Attorney General Sean D. Reyes and Utah Department of Commerce Executive Director Margaret Woolley Busse have announced a national $573 million settlement with one of the world’s largest opioid consulting firms, McKinsey & Company. Utah was part of a coalition of attorneys general from 47 states, D.C. and five territories.

The settlement revolved around investigations into the company’s role in working for opioid providers, helping those companies promote their drugs, and profiting from the opioid epidemic.

In addition to providing funds to address the crisis, the agreement calls for McKinsey to prepare tens of thousands of internal documents detailing its work for opioid companies for public disclosure online.

The filings describe how McKinsey contributed to the opioid crisis by promoting marketing schemes and consulting services to opioid manufactures for over a decade.

The opioid epidemic has led to considerable harm for Uthans. Over the last 20 years, opioid overdose has been a growing cause of drug related deaths, nearing 500,000 people nationally between 2009 and 2019, according to the CDC.

Utah will receive more than $6 million from the multistate settlement. This is the first multi-state opioid settlement to result in substantial payment for states to address the epidemic.

Proceeds from the settlement will be used to address the effects of alleged violations related to the manufacture, marketing, distribution, or sale of opioids.

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