Criminal charges against pharmas over opioid crisis would result only in small fines, Ottawa says

The federal government says it hasn’t closed the door on pursuing criminal charges against pharmaceutical companies over their alleged involvement in the opioid crisis — but such charges would result only in minimal fines.

While the province of B.C. is pursuing ongoing civil litigation against companies for allegedly downplaying the risks of opioid drugs — especially their addictive potential — when advertising them to doctors, the lawsuit is meant to recover health-care costs related to the ongoing crisis. It won’t involve any criminal penalties.

Under the federal Food and Drugs Act, it is illegal to sell or advertise a drug in a false or misleading way. Doing so is punishable by a fine

→ Continue reading at CBC News

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