Opioid overdoses claimed nearly 4,000 lives in Canada in 2017 |
The epicenter of Canada's opioid crisis, British Columbia province, on Wednesday sued more than 40 drug companies to recover the costs of emergency paramedic responses and hospitalizations for overdoses.
It marks
the first lawsuit against opioid manufacturers by a government in Canada -- and
the western province said it is in talks with other jurisdictions to join the
class action.
"It's
time opioid drug companies take responsibility for the human and financial toll
their products have taken on so many families," said British Columbia
Attorney General David Eby in a statement.
Overprescribing
and illicit sales of diverted painkillers have been widely blamed for the
opioid crisis sweeping North America.
However,
allegations by British Columbia that the drug companies "deceived
prescribers and patients about the risks and benefits of opioids" and
"seriously harmed the public healthcare system" have not been proven
in court.
The suit
names opioid manufacturers, wholesalers and distributors as defendants --
including Purdue, whose popular OxyContin drug has been blamed for triggering
the crisis -- accusing them of contributing to an "epidemic of
addiction."
In the
United States, Purdue was among manufacturers named by New York City in a $500
million lawsuit filed in January to recoup costs that could help battle the
opioid crisis.
Canadian
victims and their families reached a proposed Can$20 million settlement with
the company but it was blocked in March by a judge who found the sum to be
insufficient.
Purdue and
others have since stopped marketing opioids in Canada at the direction of the
federal government.
Ottawa has
also poured tens of millions of dollars into strengthening emergency services
and distributing the overdose antidote naloxone.
Opioid
overdoses claimed nearly 4,000 lives in Canada last year, according to public
health data. British Columbia was hardest hit, with about a third of those
overdose deaths.
Factfile on opioid painkillers as the Canadian province of British Columbia sues more than 40 drug companies to recover the costs of emergency paramedic responses and hospitalizations for overdoseshttps://t.co/OTQHoTzwXv pic.twitter.com/0nfgTyeTdH— AFP news agency (@AFP) August 30, 2018
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