Justplain
30th August 2018, 01:17
I had heard that the opioid crisis started with oxycontiln, and that the push was made by drug companies even though nonaddictive painkillers were just as effective. Now we have mainstream confirmation.
This case is 1st example of a province going after opioid makers for costs, expert says
Liam Britten - CBC News
B.C. Attorney General David Eby and Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Judy Darcy announced a lawsuit against 40 drug companies Wednesday, Aug. 29. They accuse the wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers of being in part responsible for the ongoing opioid crisis faced by the province.
B.C. Attorney General David Eby spoke of the "terrible toll" opioid addiction has taken on many British Columbians and their families as he announced a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies to reclaim costs associated with the ongoing opioid crisis.
The suit, he said, was filed Wednesday morning against over 40 companies involved in the manufacture, distribution and wholesale of opioids.
The government alleges the companies downplayed the risks of their drugs when advertising them to physicians, especially when it comes to their addictive potential, thus contributing to the opioid crisis.
"No amount of money from this action can possibly make up for the loss of someone's child, someone's partner, or someone's friend," Mental Health and Addictions Minister Judy Darcy said at the announcement on the steps of the Vancouver Law Courts.
"Today we are clearly saying that pharmaceutical companies must take responsibility for their role and put the lives of people before profit."
Drug company knew Oxycontin was addictive and lied about it, says plaintiff in class action suit
He said the suit would seek to recover only costs to the public health-care system such as addiction treatment, emergency response and hospital expenses caused by what he termed the companies' "negligence and corruption."
It was not clear how much the suit would seek to recover.
Eby said new legislation will be tabled in the fall to gather "population-based evidence" to prove the claim.
https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4803030
This case is 1st example of a province going after opioid makers for costs, expert says
Liam Britten - CBC News
B.C. Attorney General David Eby and Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Judy Darcy announced a lawsuit against 40 drug companies Wednesday, Aug. 29. They accuse the wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers of being in part responsible for the ongoing opioid crisis faced by the province.
B.C. Attorney General David Eby spoke of the "terrible toll" opioid addiction has taken on many British Columbians and their families as he announced a lawsuit against pharmaceutical companies to reclaim costs associated with the ongoing opioid crisis.
The suit, he said, was filed Wednesday morning against over 40 companies involved in the manufacture, distribution and wholesale of opioids.
The government alleges the companies downplayed the risks of their drugs when advertising them to physicians, especially when it comes to their addictive potential, thus contributing to the opioid crisis.
"No amount of money from this action can possibly make up for the loss of someone's child, someone's partner, or someone's friend," Mental Health and Addictions Minister Judy Darcy said at the announcement on the steps of the Vancouver Law Courts.
"Today we are clearly saying that pharmaceutical companies must take responsibility for their role and put the lives of people before profit."
Drug company knew Oxycontin was addictive and lied about it, says plaintiff in class action suit
He said the suit would seek to recover only costs to the public health-care system such as addiction treatment, emergency response and hospital expenses caused by what he termed the companies' "negligence and corruption."
It was not clear how much the suit would seek to recover.
Eby said new legislation will be tabled in the fall to gather "population-based evidence" to prove the claim.
https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.4803030