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McKinsey Advised Purdue Pharma on How to Supercharge OxyContin Sales During Crisis

Danger Close · Danger Close | The Fourth Option Podcast: Gerald Posner · June 24, 2026
McKinsey Advised Purdue Pharma on How to Supercharge OxyContin Sales During Crisis
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Danger Close | The Fourth Option Podcast: Gerald Posner
"McKinsey does what they do. They charge a lot of money and they do this long review and then they come back with an analysis. And they come back with an analysis that tells them how they can supercharge sales. When you're talking about, at that point, by the time McKinsey was doing this, we already knew that the trail of what OxyContin had left across the US was not very good."
Posner broke the story that McKinsey & Company consulted for Purdue Pharma in 2013-2014, advising them on how to 'supercharge' OxyContin sales even as the devastating impacts of opioid addiction were already well-documented. McKinsey later had to settle lawsuits and apologize, but Posner argues this represents one of the consulting firm's darkest chapters.
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Danger Close | The Fourth Option Podcast: Gerald Posner

August 3, 2026 · 5 Egleze moments
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