Paxil Lawsuits
In 2003, doctors in the United Kingdom were warned not to prescribe Paxil to children due to an increased risk of suicidal tendencies. This preceded by nine days a similar warning in the United States by the FDA.
Many doctors, lawyers and parents have sought to get Paxil banned. In May 2004, New York City filed a lawsuit against GSK for “anticompetitive, fraudulent and inequitable conduct.” This came when it was found that GSK had acquired more than a dozen rival patents over the course of a decade. The only purpose for such actions, according to the lawsuit, was for GSK to preserve its monopoly on this lucrative drug.
More than 5,000 lawsuits have been filed in the U.S. over Paxil and its side effects.
5K-plus lawsuits
Already more than 5,000 Paxil lawsuits have been filed in the U.S. As the controversy over Paxil and its side effects goes on, those injured by Paxil continue to seek compensation through the courts.
Some critics claim that Paxil remains on the market in spite of evidence of adverse and sometimes deadly side effects only because GSK tried to obscure or deny these risks. Paxil lawsuits have been filed for several years now now, with patients alleging that it can cause addiction, and severe and sometimes life-threatening instances of drug withdrawals.
Former quarterback throws long ball for Paxil
This drug, which generated sales of $1.8 billion in 1998 alone, is the subject of intensive marketing with high-profile spokespersons, such as Terry Bradshaw. Since 2004, the former pro football star, who takes Paxil to treat his clinical depression, has been an enthusiastic—and well-paid—representative of the drug and the company that makes it. As a counteroffensive of sorts, the consumer group SSRI Citizen publicly contended that antidepressants like Paxil are “unsafe at any dose.”
In June 2004, Elliot Spitzer, the attorney general of New York, filed suit against GlaxoSmithKline, alleging that the company had fraudulently concealed and failed to disclose critical information about Paxil’s safety and efficacy for young patients. Other states are discussing similar legal moves against GSK.
