It’s no secret the opioid crisis has wreaked havoc on forensic laboratories in the past two decades. Now, pharmaceutical companies and other firms that played a role in profiting off the crisis are finally being held accountable. Legally, that equates to money.
Luckily, Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall knew exactly what to do with the millions of dollars the state will see from its opioid-related settlement—invest it in the forensic labs and scientists who have been on the frontlines of this crisis from the very beginning.
In a meeting earlier this week at the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences (ADFS) lab, Marshall announced he was allocating $2.95 million—of a $9 million settlement—to forensic lab director Angelo Della Manna. ADFS is the sole provider of forensic laboratory services to all 450+ law enforcement agencies across the state of Alabama.
“This investment in new technology will give ADFS the tools they need to quickly identify trends in increasingly complex synthetic opioids and to aid law enforcement in identifying opioid traffickers,” said Marshall.
Manna agreed, saying the investment will improve the quality and turnaround time of the agency’s opioid-related cases, “especially those involving a greater number of new and emerging opiate compounds and their synthetic analogs.” The forensic lab director said, first and foremost, they will seek to decrease the backlog of opioid cases.
As part of a settlement dating back to February 2021, Alabama is set to receive $7.6 million this year— and a total of $9 million—from McKinsey & Company, a global consulting firm that promoted marketing schemes and services to opioid manufacturers amid the crisis, including OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma.
On Wednesday, one day after the forensic monies announcement, Marshall awarded prosecutors from the Alabama District Attorneys Association $1.5 million to invest into the state’s specialty courts, including drug courts, veterans’ courts, and mental health courts.
“I appreciate the Attorney General’s acknowledgement of the burden that the opioid crisis has placed on prosecutorial offices, which is so often overlooked,” said District Attorney Michael Jackson, President of the District Attorneys Association. “Drug courts and pretrial diversion programs are an extremely valuable tool—not only can this type of intervention save the lives of addicted offenders, but these programs also help decrease victimization within communities.”
In February 2021, as part of a multi-state settlement, McKinsey & Company agreed to pay nearly $600 million for its role in advising businesses on how to sell more prescription opioid painkillers. According to the Associated Press, most of the money is in a $573 million settlement reached with 47 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories, but McKinsey & Company said it had deals with a total of 49 states. Washington’s attorney general announced a separate $13.5 million deal and West Virginia announced a $10 million settlement with the New York-based company.
McKinsey’s role in the opioid crisis came to light via legal documents that were made public as part of Purdue Pharma’s efforts to settle claims against the company through bankruptcy court. Last month, a federal bankruptcy judge gave conditional approval to a sweeping settlement that will remove the Sackler family from ownership of Purdue Pharma and devote potentially $10 billion to fighting the opioid crisis. If it withstands appeals, the deal will resolve a mountain of 3,000 lawsuits from state and local governments, Native American tribes, unions and others. It will also force the Sackler family to contribute $4.5 billion from their own pockets, and prohibit them from working in the opioid business. At the same time, they will be shielded from any future lawsuits over opioids.
Additionally, Purdue Pharma will be reorganized into a charity-oriented company with a board appointed by public officials that will funnel its profits into government-led efforts to prevent and treat addiction.
Of course, Purdue Pharma is not the only opioid manufacturer. Earlier this year, AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson—the three largest U.S. drug distribution companies—in addition to drugmaker Johnson & Johnson agreed to a $26 billion settlement with thousands of municipalities and states. Still, there will continue to be unresolved lawsuits surrounding the crisis for months and years to come.
On the first of next month, for instance, Alabama is set to begin trial in its case against Endo Pharmaceuticals and McKesson Corporation.