Congress launched an investigation Nov. 5 into global consulting firm McKinsey's work with opioid manufacturers, The New York Times reported.
The House Committee on Oversight and Reform sent a letter to the firm requesting records related to its "business practices, conflicts of interest and management standards," the names of McKinsey's clients in the healthcare industry and documents related to its work with opioid makers, distributors and retailers, according to the Times.
The committee wants to know if there were conflicts of interest with McKinsey's work for drugmakers and their work for the FDA, the letter states. By advising both opioid makers and the FDA, McKinsey "may have had a significant negative impact on Americans' health," the letter stated, according to the Times.
The letter was signed by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., committee chairwoman, who requested that McKinsey send the information by Nov. 19.
Congress is also looking into whether McKinsey consultants helped drugmakers raise their prices or block competition from cheaper generics, the Times reported.
A McKinsey spokesperson told the Times it had "received the committee's letter and will engage directly with the committee regarding their requests."
In February, McKinsey agreed to pay $573 million to settle investigations into counsel it provided Purdue Pharma and other opioid makers. Documents released in a New York federal bankruptcy court revealed McKinsey had advised Purdue Pharma owners, the Sackler family, to "turbocharge" Oxycontin sales during a time when both the government and pharmaceutical industry were aware that hundreds of thousands of Americans had died from opioid overdoses.
McKinsey has denied any wrongdoing.
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