Emily Sortor  |  December 2, 2019

Category: Legal News

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woman taking opioids for pain reliefA class action lawsuit seeks to hold multiple pharmaceutical companies accountable for the Canadian opioid crisis. 

The Canadian opioid epidemic class action lawsuit was filed by Dr. Darryl Gebien against companies including Apotex, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada, Endo Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, and others.

Gebien says that he began taking an opioid after he suffered a ligament injury in his thumb. He says that he was prescribed Percocet.

Allegedly, the plaintiff became so addicted to Percocet after taking the drug that it took a significant toll on his life.

Gebien says he lost his license to practice medicine, and lost his job. He also claims that he was incarcerated and lost custody of his children, all because of his opioid addiction.

The Canadian opioid crisis class action lawsuit claims that all of the companies named as defendants market, sell, and distribute opioids in Canada.

According to the Canadian opioids class action lawsuit, opioids are a class of drugs that are made from a compound naturally found in the opium poppy plant, or made from a synthetic version of the compound. 

Allegedly, some opioid drugs include Butorphanol, Fentanyl, Hydrocodone, Hydromorphone, Meperidine, Methadone, Morphine, Normethadone, Opium, Oxycodone, Oxymorphone, Pentazocine, Tapentadol, and Tramadol.

Gebien explains that opioids are “powerful narcotics” that dull the perception of pain by binding to spinal cord and brain receptors.

Allegedly, the drugs are very addictive, and can give the user a “high” that is characterized by a euphoric feeling. Gebien says that if a patient uses the drugs over a period of time, they may develop a tolerance of the drugs.

If a patient develops a tolerance, they allegedly have an increased risk of becoming addicted, experiencing withdrawal, or overdosing. Gabien explains that the drugs can be fatal if used at higher doses, because they can slow a user’s breathing extensively.

Gabien describes the withdrawal symptoms of opioid use as including nausea, muscle pain, depression, anxiety, diarrhea, vomiting, restlessness, and chills. 

The Canadian opioid class action lawsuit says that until the mid-1990s, they were largely not used for long-term use, because of concerns over their addictive properties.

However, in the 1990s, drug companies allegedly developed a marketing narrative to convince the public that opioids were not as addictive as previously thought, and that pain was under-treated. Allegedly, this was done to increase the sale and use of opioids, in the interest of profits.

The opioid crisis class action lawsuit says that because of this inaccurate campaign, many people began using opioids for long-term use and developed serious opioid addictions. Allegedly, these addictions have serious impacts on the lives of patients like Gabien, and in some cases, cost patients their lives.

Have you ever been prescribed opioids for pain management? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

Gebien is represented by Kirk M. Baert and Adam Tanel of Koskie Minsky LLP.

The Canadian Opioid Crisis Class Action Lawsuit is Darryl Gebien v. Apotex Inc., et al., Case No. cv-19-00620048-00cp, in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, Canada.

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39 thoughts onCanadians File Opioid Crisis Class Action Lawsuit

  1. Chris Martin says:

    Like another person who posted I lost all of my teeth due to being transferred to the methadone program in spite of being assured that this would not happen. My previous fentanyl patches did not cause this to happen. Please include in any upcoming class action.

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