Opioid crisis: $150M settlement reached in B.C.-led lawsuit to recoup health-care costs
Global News
The Canadian arm of Purdue Pharma has agreed to a settlement in B.C.'s 2018 proposed class-action lawsuit against more than 40 opioid manufacturers and distributors.
A settlement has been reached with the Canadian arm of opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma in the British Columbia-led legal action linked to the overdose crisis.
The pharmaceutical company has agreed to pay $150 million in response to B.C.’s proposed class-action lawsuit to recover health-care costs related to the sale and marketing of opioid-based pain medication.
“B.C.’s efforts to negotiate this unique settlement, together with other Canadian governments paves the way for additional settlements to be reached in the ongoing litigation against other manufacturers and distributors of opioid products,” said Attorney General David Eby on Wednesday.
“We know that no amount of money can bring back those who have died, but we are committed to holding corporations and others accountable for acts of alleged wrongdoing committed in the manufacturing and distribution of opioid products.”
Purdue Canada is one of more than 40 defendants named in B.C.’s class-action claim, launched in 2018 on behalf of all federal, provincial and territorial governments in Canada.
The province alleges that opioid manufacturers, distributors and their consultants engaged in “deceptive” marketing practices with a view to increase sales, resulting in increased rates of addiction and overdose.
The toxic illicit drug supply claimed the lives of at least 2,236 British Columbians in 2021, the highest annual total in history.
There has been a public health emergency in the province since 2016, and recently the federal government approved a request to decriminalize the personal possession of hard drugs in B.C.
B.C. health authorities have announced the first case of a human avian flu infection acquired in Canada, with the teenage patient in critical condition in hospital.
People have been hearing a lot about H5N1 bird flu — or highly pathogenic avian influenza — since a B.C. teen became the first human to get the virus in Canada and is in hospital.
The Liberal government and the NDP negotiated the substance of a pharmacare bill as part of their now-defunct supply-and-confidence agreement.
Kennedy ran as an independent presidential candidate but gave Trump his endorsement with a promise to have a role in health policy in the next Trump administration.
Emergency services are at the scene of a train derailment Thursday morning on Montreal's south shore, where they are urging citizens to stay away from the area.
"I was yelling at them saying get the F** away it’s a wild animal," resident Josh Merrin told Global News. "Sorry about my language."
H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows, with several recent human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers.
The Calgary Zoo announced that one of its lowland gorillas unexpectedly passed away on November 12, 2024.
Edmontonians have had mixed feelings and now the city is asking people to share their thoughts officially. The findings of a survey could bring some changes.
Dr. Anna Wolak, a family physician in Vancouver, said many parents are likely having flashbacks to the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite this flu being a single case.
WHO acknowledged that testing for mpox is still not widespread, making it difficult to understand how exactly the virus is spreading.