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Article

21 May 2019

Author:
Alex Keown, BioSpace

Canada: Toronto law firm files lawsuit against opioid drugmakers for $1.1 billion

"$1.1 Billion in Lawsuits Filed Against Opioid Makers in Canada" 16 May 2019

A Toronto law firm filed more than two dozen lawsuits against drugmakers over the aggressive marketing practices that have attributed to abuse of opioid drugs in Canada, the Globe and Mail reported. The lawsuits claim the companies were deceptive in their marketing practices and reaped “obscene” profits at the expense of the health and well-being of patients. The legal firm of Koskie Minsky filed a proposed class-action lawsuit in Ontario making similar arguments that attorneys in the United States have been making. The Canadian lawsuit seeks more than $1.1 billion in damages.

“Pharmaceutical companies should be held accountable for their negligence, not just in manufacturing these products, but in manufacturing this crisis,” Kirk Baert, a lawyer at the firm, said, according to the report.

According to the report, the first nine months of 2018 saw more than 3,200 opioid-related deaths in Canada.