British Columbia reaches $116 million settlement with Purdue Pharma over
opioid crisis
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[June 30, 2022]
By Kanishka Singh
(Reuters) -Canada's British Columbia
province said on Wednesday it reached a C$150 million ($116.50 million)
settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma Canada over healthcare
costs related to the opioid crisis.
Purdue had been named as one of more than 40 defendants - drugmakers and
distributors - in a proposed class-action lawsuit brought by British
Columbia in 2018 on behalf of all provincial and federal Canadian
governments. The lawsuit aims to recover healthcare costs for the
"wrongful conduct of opioid manufacturers, distributors and their
consultants."
"The proposed settlement with Purdue Canada has been agreed to by all
federal, provincial and territorial governments and totals C$150 million
in monetary benefits, plus additional benefits including access to
information and documents relevant to the lawsuit," British Columbia
said in a statement on Wednesday.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2022/Jun/30/images/ads/current/charrons_bch_2022.png)
It added that this is the largest settlement of a governmental health
claim in Canadian history.
Purdue Pharma Canada told Reuters it agreed to pay the sum and provide
access to information sought by prosecutors for which the company "will
be released from all past and present government opioid-related claims
and liability."
Canada had a total of 29,052 apparent opioid-related deaths between
January 2016 and December 2021, with a total of 7,560 such deaths
occurring in 2021, according to government data.
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![](../images/063022pics/health11.jpg)
Bottles of prescription painkiller OxyContin made by Purdue Pharma
LP sit on a shelf at a local pharmacy in Provo, Utah, U.S., April
25, 2017. REUTERS/George Frey/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2015/May/02/images/ads/current/guzzardo_lda022609.png) During the first year of the
COVID-19 pandemic, there was a 96% jump in such deaths, the data
showed.
"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," British Columbia's Attorney
General David Eby said.
The settlement includes no admission of wrongdoing or liability on
the part of Purdue Pharma Canada or any of its related parties, the
company said in an emailed statement.
($1 = 1.2875 Canadian dollars)
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Mark Porter
and Bill Berkrot)
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