Laura Shaver is the plaintiff in this proposed class action against Mallinckrodt Canada ULC, Mallinckrodt PLC, the Province of British Columbia (Ministry of Health) and the College of Pharmacists of British Columbia. The claim has not yet been certified as a class action under the Class Proceedings Act.
A copy of the Notice of Civil Claim is linked here.
The claim asserts that Methadose harms patients in two ways: (1) switching from Compounded Methadone to Methdose results in relapses; and (2) use of Methadose itself results in relapses. Mallinckrodt marketed Methadose as if it were as effective as Compounded Methadone, dispite knowing of the harm and risk of harm posed to patients by Methadose.
The Ministry of Health and College of Pharmacists, having made an “exclusive exchange” agreement granting a monopoly on methadone products to Mallinckrodt, forced patients to switch from Compounded Methadone to Methadose, causing patients to resort to toxic street drugs, resulting in predictable social harms, overdoses and deaths.
The application to certify the claim as a class proceedings is set for a hearing before the Honourable Madam Justice Matthews from March 11 to 15, 2024.