Quebec class action alleges opioid makers misled users about risks [Video]

A Quebec Superior Court judge has authorized a class-action lawsuit against 16 pharmaceutical companies that are alleged to have misled consumers about the efficacy and dangers of opioid medications.

The suit alleges the companies knew how addictive the drugs were but deliberately misrepresented those risks, leading users to become dependent.

“Traditionally, opioids were used in a very limited way medically,” said Margo Siminovitch, one of the lawyers behind the lawsuit. “They were used for palliative care, for example, end of life, cancer treatment, or for acute pain post surgery. And then in the mid-1990s a new narrative emerged.”

That new narrative involved pharmaceutical companies promoting the use of opioids as safe for a wide range of chronic pain conditions, ranging from headaches, to back pain and rheumatoid arthritis, she said in an interview Tuesday. “Doctors were told that if they didn’t promote opioids and use them for their patients, they …