Watch Live: CityNews at Six Vancouver

B.C. Attorney General enlists support for lawsuit against opioid makers

ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND (NEWS 1130) — Justice ministers across Canada have been asked to join B.C.’s class action lawsuit against opioid drug makers and distributors.

Attorney General David Eby wants a national working group on litigation to help recover millions of dollars spent on health care in B.C. since 1996.

The province has already passed legislation similar to the process used to fight big tobacco.

Eby says other provinces and territories can join the claim once the class action case is certified by a B.C. Supreme Court judge.

In August, Eby announced the province is taking legal action against 40 pharmaceutical companies, alleging they have had a direct hand in causing and perpetuating the current opioid crisis.

He said companies like Purdue, the former maker of popular opioid OxyContin which is included in the legal action, knowingly lied about the addictive nature and side effects of the drugs.

Top Stories

Top Stories

Most Watched Today