Ontario is joining five other provinces in a class-action lawsuit, which alleges that drug manufacturers falsely marketed opioids as less addictive than other pain drugs.

Another company owned by the Sackler family - makers of OxyContin - has used misleading claims and drug reps dressed up as doctors to peddle its signature painkiller in China

There are still more than 2,600 other lawsuits seeking to hold the drug industry accountable for an opioid crisis that has been linked to more than 400,000 deaths in the U.S. alone since 2000.

Purdue lawyers secured permission for the multibillion-dollar company based in Stamford, Connecticut, to maintain business as usual -- paying employees and vendors, supplying pills to distributors, and keeping current on taxes and insurance.

David Eby said if the deal isn't expanded to include Canadian claims, the province will press ahead with its legal action.

The filing was anticipated before and after the tentative deal, which could be worth up to US$12 billion over time, was struck.

New York said it has uncovered the previously unknown wire transfers among family members, entities they control and several financial institutions.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said the agreement included more money from the Sackler family, which had become a sticking point during the recent talks.

Purdue is among several drugmakers and distributors that are facing lawsuits, seeking to hold them responsible for fuelling the U.S. opioid addiction crisis.

Winnipeg may be in the midst of a high-profile meth crisis, but it's not the only drug plaguing the city's streets.