McKinsey worked with Purdue Pharma to “turbocharge” sales of OcyContin (extended release he---n). As part of that contract, McKinsey proposed that Purdue rebate $14,810 to CVS (another McKinsey client) for every overdose attributable to the pills they sold, thus compensating CVS for every lost customer. McKinsey also advised J&J that supplied the raw ingredients for OxyContin from genetically engineered Tasmanian poppies that are “particularly rich in opi--ds.” In an extreme conflict of interest, the FDA’s Center for Dr-g Evaluation and Research, that regulates prescription opi--ds, was also a McKinsey client.
When McKinsey advised Disney to cut back and reorganize the safety inspections on their amusement park rides it led to guests’ deaths at the “Happiest place on Earth.”
McKinsey helped Big Tobacco figure out how to manipulate nicotine levels to make their products more addictive — long after it was clear that cigarette smoking causes cancer. And then McKinsey helped Juul and other vaping companies deliver nicotine without tobacco and get people hooked (including teenagers) before the FDA could step in to regulate it.
As part of its work for the Saudi government, McKinsey partnered with Cambridge Analytica to analyze social media to identify opponents of the regime. Prince Mohammed Bin Salman then used that map to target dissidents which eventually led to the mu---r and dismemberment of Washington Post opinion columnist Jamal Khashoggi.