Paxil News
Paxil maker sued over deaths, birth defects
GlaxoSmithKline, the world’s second-largest pharmaceutical company, has been sued for allegations that its antidepressant Paxil caused heart defects, other serious health problems and death.
Ob/Gyn organization issues Paxil warning
An advisory group to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has linked the popular antidepressant drug Paxil to fetal heart defects and says it should be avoided during pregnancy if possible.
Doctors advise women not to use Paxil during pregnancy
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has advised women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant to avoid taking Paxil during pregnancy because of the risk of congenital heart defects. The group’s warning about these Paxil side effects will be published in the December 2006 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Paxil found to double risk of violence
People who use GlaxoSmithKline’s antidepressant drug Paxil are more than twice as likely to experience violent behavior, as compared with those taking placebo, according to new British research.
Study links SSRIs to violence
Paxil, one of the new antidepressants in a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) previously linked to suicide now has been found to have an association with violence.
Increased violence seen in antidepressant users
A study by the online journal Public Library of Science-Medicine has found that cases of violent or hostile behavior can be a side effect of using a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which includes Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft. Investigators analyzing data from previous studies and drug trials found that SSRIs roughly doubled “hostility events” such as homicide, suicide and aggression among patients. The risk for hostility events for children with obsessive-compulsive disorder was 17 times greater.
Patients complain of antidepressant withdrawal symptoms
As the use of antidepressants has risen over the last decade, patients have become increasingly worried about withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking the drugs. Some withdrawal symptoms for Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac and Lexapro—members of a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)—are so severe that many doctors have stopped prescribing them altogether.
FDA calls for new warnings on antidepressants
The Food and Drug Administration has asked the makers of a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to add new warnings to the drugs’ labels. These warnings, for drugs including Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac and Lexapro, were prompted by potential side effects from using them. The new labels would advise patients about a serious lung condition in newborns whose mothers took the drug during pregnancy. Another warning would caution against combining SSRIs with triptans, a class of migraine drugs, which could result in a potentially life-threatening condition known as serotonin syndrome.
Judge allows Paxil suicide lawsuit to proceed
A Pennsylvania judge has issued a ruling that will allow a wrongful death Paxil lawsuit to proceed in U.S. district court against GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of the drug. Paxil attorneys for GSK had argued unsuccessfully that the Paxil lawsuit filed by Jon R. Hoppe should be dismissed.
Opposition growing to Bradshaw’s Paxil tour
British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has a deal with former pro football star Terry Bradshaw to help market its antidepressant drug Paxil. The program, known as “The All-Stars at Work,” pertains to mental health in the workplace. “The ‘program’ is supported by an unrestricted ‘educational grant’ from GlaxoSmithKline,” according to Rob Robinson, one of GSK’s sharpest critics. “We considered sending Mr. Bradshaw a complimentary case of bumper stickers that say, ‘Terry Bradshaw Says Eat More Paxil’ to hand out to workers. Maybe it would make him think twice about his continued promotion of the drug.”