B.C.’s claim against the manufacturer defendants is they “marketed and promoted opioids in Canada as less addictive than they knew them to be, and for conditions they knew the drugs were not effective in treating,” he wrote. “These misleading marketing and promotion efforts allegedly resulted in an increase in the prescription and use of all opioids.”
The class action is suing for opioid-related health care costs and damages from the 40 companies from 1996, when Purdue Pharma started selling painkiller OxyContin, to the present.Article content B.C. last June announced a $150 million settlement with Purdue, the largest defender in the proposed class-action lawsuit.