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ARTICLE · 08 MARCH 2006

Superior Court Refuses to Authorize the Largest Proposed Class Action in Quebec´s History

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On January 17, 2006, the Superior Court of Quebec refused to grant Option Consommateurs the authorization to institute class action proceedings against a number of drug manufacturers seeking damages in the amount of approximately CAD4 billion in the case of Option Consommateurs v. Novopharm et al.

CanadaLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
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Article by Robert Torralbo, ©2006 Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

This article was originally published in Blakes Bulletin on Litigation - January 2006

On January 17, 2006, the Superior Court of Québec refused to grant Option Consommateurs the authorization to institute class action proceedings against a number of drug manufacturers seeking damages in the amount of approximately CAD4 billion in the case of Option Consommateurs v. Novopharm et al.

The motion seeking authorization to institute a class action was filed in February 2003, shortly after a newspaper article appeared in La Presse reporting that certain unnamed pharmaceutical manufacturers may have given "illegal" rebates to pharmacists in Québec and other provinces in the form of benefits and further reporting that an investigation was launched into this matter by the Régie de l’assurance maladie du Québec.

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