By The Canadian Press

MP calls for criminal investigation, payment for addiction treatment from pharma

Apr 12, 2018 | 2:13 PM

VANCOUVER — A New Democrat member of Parliament is calling on the federal government to launch a criminal investigation against drug manufacturers for their alleged role in the deaths of thousands of Canadians who took opioids.

Don Davies also wants the government to seek compensation for the costs of treating addiction to the drugs.

He notes lawsuits related to misleading marketing in the United States have recovered millions of dollars from a company that hid the addictive qualities of opioids and its executives have been charged.

A private class-action suit in Canada resulted in a proposed $20 million settlement last year but a Saskatchewan judge rejected it for not identifying issues related to past and potential future health-care costs.

Davies says Canada has not even begun investigating to determine if a drug company that minimized addiction issues in the U.S. did the same in Canada.

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Over 4,000 people died of overdoses last year in Canada due to the opioids crisis, and Davies says their families and future users of the drugs deserve justice.

The Canadian Press