Brian Doster Chase Drug and Medical Device Litigation Law Blog on Lawyers.com

For some time now, Paxil lawyers have been monitoring the defective drugs status.  Paxil is the brand name of a form of paroxetine manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline Pharmacueticals.  Paxil is a "selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor," or SSRI.  This is a classification of drugs which is used to treat certain types of depressions, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorders, or OCD.

Paxil was originally marketed as a better alternative to an older generation of antidepressants, with fewer side effects and more effective results.  However, since Paxil's first marketing in 1992, approximately 5,000 lawsuits have been filed against GSK, and the company has settled nearly 200 lawsuits involving children.

One of the complaints lodged against GSK regarding Paxil was that the company had downplayed the seriousness of dependency on the drug.  Ten years after Paxil's release, the United States Food and Drug Administration issued a warning about the possible side effects of the drug, and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers accused GSK of misleading the public about the effects of Paxil.

Even more seriously, however, GSK was accused of deliberately misleading both doctors and the public as to the efficacy of the drug and its possible side effects in terms of children’s use.  One study showed that teens were six times more likely to become suicidal while taking Paxil as teens who were not using the drug, and later studies showed that Paxil caused birth defects in unborn children, including a 100 percent increase in the numbers of children suffering from holes in the heart chambers prior to birth.

In 2008, it was shown that at least one college researcher had received large sums from GSK which went unreported, and that these sums were connected with clinical trials of Paxil.  One researcher received $960,000 in funds, but reported on $35,000 to his university.  The implication was that clinical trial data were being skewed to cover an increase in suicidal thoughts or suicide rates due to the use of Paxil.

Paxil can also have less serious, but nonetheless bothersome, side effects such as allergic reactions, acne, and nausea.  However, there are a number of serious side effects attached to Paxil, such as slowing of heart rate, hemorrhaging, and bone fracture.

Although no immediate recall of Paxil is planned, the lawsuits have already begun to reach record numbers, especially those involving pregnant women and unborn children.  GSK has already settled over 200 of these cases, and can expect to settle more in the next few years.  If it can be proven that GSK covered up information which should have been made available to the public about Paxil, the lawsuits will probably increase exponentially, and GSK may be forced to recall one of its most profitable drugs to date.