Opioid Use Disorder
The plaintiff, Jean-François Bourassa, has obtained authorization to bring a class action against several pharmaceutical companies (the “defendants“) who manufactured or sold prescription opioids since 1996. This class action seeks to compensate every resident of Quebec who suffers, or has suffered from, opioid use disorder following the use of prescription opioid products (the “Class Members”).
Latest News
Settlement agreements have been made with several defendants since the class action began.
Most recently, the plaintiff came to agreements with defendants Laboratoire Atlas Inc., Pfizer Canada Inc., Pro Doc Ltée, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada Co., Ethypharm Inc., Abbott Laboratoires, Co., Apotex Inc, Purdue Pharma, and Purdue Frederick Inc. These settlement agreements will be presented for approval at the Superior Court of Quebec on December 12, 2025 at 9:30am in room 15.04 of the Montreal Courthouse, located at 1, Notre-Dame Street East, Montreal, province of Québec H2Y 1B6.
A combined notice of the class action authorization and the application for the approval of the settlement agreements was approved by the Court. You can consult the authorization judgment, the combined notice, and the eight settlement agreements at the bottom of the page under the section “Procedures and Judgments.”
Case History
On May 23, 2019, an application for authorization to institute class action proceedings against several manufacturers, marketers or distributors of opioid drugs was filed at the Superior Court.
On April 10, 2024, the Court authorized the class action, in a decision which was rectified on April 18, 2024 and May 20, 2025. You can consult the authorization judgment here. The authorization judgment defines the class as follows:
All persons in Quebec who have been prescribed and consumed any one or more of the opioid medications identified in Schedule I (Schedule I is available at the end of the authorization judgment) attached hereto, manufactured, marketed, distributed and/or sold by the Defendants between 1996 and the present day (“Class Period“) and who have been diagnosed by a physician as suffering or having suffered from Opioid Use Disorder.
The Class excludes any person’s claim, or any portion thereof, in relation to the drugs OxyContin and OxyNEO, as well as in relation to opioid drugs that were solely and exclusively available for use in a hospital setting and not prescribed for use in the home.
The Class also includes the direct heirs of any deceased person who during his or her lifetime met the above description, subject to the same exclusions.
If you believe you are a member of this class action and wish to receive information about its progress, you can sign up to our mailing list by filling out the form at the bottom of the page.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Phone: 514 871-8385
Email: [email protected]
About
Case title: Jean-François Bourassa v. Abbott Laboratories et al.
File number: 500-06-001004-197 (Superior Court of Quebec)