Following Canada’s Safe Supply Money—From Taxpayer to Pharmaceutical Companies

Highly potent opioids such as fentanyl are being produced by pharmaceutical companies, paid for by Canadian taxpayers, and given out as part of “safer supply” programs. The merits and potential harms of such programs are the subject of ongoing debate, but in the meantime, the federal and B.C. governments are committing hundreds of millions to the purchase and distribution of these drugs. The drugs include fentanyl buccal tablets produced by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., which paid a $4.25 billion settlement to U.S. states and local governments in 2022 for allegedly contributing to the nation’s opioid addiction crisis. Another popular safe supply drug is hydromorphone, much of which is supplied by Purdue Pharma, accused of being among those largely responsible for the opioid crisis that safe supply is now aiming to address. In 2022, Purdue Pharma Canada paid $150 million to settle a B.C.-led class-action lawsuit brought against it by all provinces and territories....