Purdue Pharma Canada agrees to settlement for damages caused by opioid addiction

Opioid manufacturer Purdue Pharma Canada has agreed to a first-of-its-kind settlement over damages caused by addiction, after a proposed class-action lawsuit from multiple levels of government aiming to recover healthcare costs.

Purdue is known for making opioid painkillers, which are highly addictive and often abused.

According to the Government of Saskatchewan, the proposed settlement, which is still subject to court approval, totals $150 million to be shared by all federal, provincial, and territorial governments in Canada. The settlement is expected to be “the largest government health claim settlement in Canadian history,” the Saskatchewan government noted, and represents the first time Purdue has agreed to a settlement with a government outside the United States.

“Opioid manufacturers, distributors and consultants have a responsibility to provide compensation for their role in the suffering of the many Saskatchewan residents struggling with opioid addiction, and this settlement will assist in those efforts,” Mental Health and Addictions Minister Everett Hindley said in a statement.

“While no amount of money will make up for the losses our community has suffered, the Government of Saskatchewan is committed to holding the opioid industry accountable for acts of alleged wrongdoing committed in the manufacture and distribution of opioid products.”

Purdue is just one of 40 manufacturers named in the proposed class-action, the government said, and as part of the settlement has agreed to cooperate in the prosecution of the other named companies.

Saskatchewan saw a record number of overdoses last year, with at least 464 people dying. That works out to an average of almost nine overdose deaths each week.