Deadline nears for Canadians to cash in on $20M settlement if they were prescribed these drugs

The deadline is quickly approaching for Canadians to claim money from a nationwide settlement reached in several class-action lawsuits relating to two drugs.

The lawsuits raised various allegations against prescription drugs OxyContin and OxyNEO. They sought damages on behalf of Canadians for harm and injuries, which were allegedly related to the use of the opioids.

Both OxyContin and OxyNeo deny the allegations made in the lawsuits.

Courts in Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Saskatchewan approved the $20 million settlement as being “fair, reasonable, and in the best interest of Class Members” last year.

If you’re eligible, you have less than a month left to file a claim before the deadline on February 27, 2024.

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Who’s eligible for the settlement payment?

According to a news release from the law firms, the settlement applies to any Canadian (including their estates and provincial insurers) who at any time between January 1, 1996, and February 28, 2017, were prescribed and ingested OxyContin and/or OxyNEO tablets that were manufactured, marketed, and/or sold in the country.

This includes the following provinces:

Ontario Class: Class members whose prescription occurred in Ontario and/or British Columbia.

Quebec Class: Class members whose prescription occurred in Quebec.

Atlantic Canada Class: Class members whose prescription occurred in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, and/or Prince Edward Island.

Saskatchewan Class: Class members whose prescription occurred in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and/or Nunavut.

The $20 million settlement payment will be used to pay the claims of provincial health insurers, the costs of settlement notice and administration, compensation of people approved to make a claim, and legal fees.

Payments to approved claimants will be made to members of the class-action lawsuit who show that they “suffered one or more of the injuries described in greater detail in the Compensation Protocol, which are all subject to various eligibility criteria and maximum payment values.”

Not all members of the class-action lawsuit will be eligible for compensation, according to the law firms.

The types of injuries that may qualify for compensation include fatal and non-fatal overdose, addiction, and various life complications arising from dependency alleged to be associated with OxyContin and/or OxyNEO use.

For more eligibility information, or if you want to claim a payment, you can review the settlement here.