PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - Rhode Island is getting nearly $2.6 million as part of a multistate settlement with McKinsey & Company for its role in consulting with businesses on how to sell more prescription opioid painkillers amid the overdose crisis, Attorney General Peter Neronha said Thursday.
The total amount of the settlement is $573 million. The amounts were determined by a formula based mainly on a state’s population.
Rhode Island’s portion will be used to address the impact of the opioid epidemic through treatment, rescue, recovery and prevention programs, Neronha said in a statement.
“Far too many lives have been lost or devastated in Rhode Island as a result of the opioid crisis,” he said. “We recognize that there is no settlement amount that will bring those lives back or undo the pain and suffering so many families are going through.”
McKinsey’s role in the opioid crisis came into focus in legal documents made public as part of OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s efforts to settle claims against it that showed the company worked with Purdue to boost sales even as the epidemic worsened.
“We deeply regret that we did not adequately acknowledge the tragic consequences of the epidemic unfolding in our communities,” a McKinsey executive said in a statement.
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