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Friday, July 23, 2010
GlaxoSmithKline to Pay $1 Billion to Settle Paxil Cases
Pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline recently agreed to pay more than $1 billion in damages to plaintiffs involved in litigation regarding their popular antidepressant drug Paxil. Victims taking the defective drug allege that it caused birth defects when taken during pregnancy.
The $1 billion will be used to settle more than 800 pending cases. Victims will receive an average of $1.2 million each. There are still more than 100 Paxil claims pending against Glaxo. The company has set aside $2.4 billion to cover litigation claims stemming from Paxil and their diabetes drug, Avandia.
After settling the 800 birth defect claims, Glaxo has paid over $2 billion in defective drug claims regarding the drug. Previous claims alleged that Paxil caused suicides, attempted suicides, and addiction problems in patients taking the drug.
While Glaxo has agreed to settle the cases, a spokesperson for the company has stated that they believe they acted responsibly when conducting clinical trials, marketing the drug, and monitoring its safety after it received FDA approval.
Glaxo agreed to the massive settlement of the birth defect claims after a Philadelphia jury awarded $2.5 million in damages to the family of Lyam Kilker, a 3-year-old who was born with a heart defect. His mother was taking Paxil during the pregnancy. In this case, the jury found that Glaxo failed to properly warn the doctor treating Lyam’s mother that Paxil may lead to birth defects, and they concluded that the drug was a "factual cause" of Lyam’s heart defects.
Internal Glaxo documents surfaced during the trial indicating that company executives discussed burying negative studies related to Paxil’s link to birth defects. Other documents were produced stating that Glaxo’s scientists were alarmed by the increasing number of children born with birth defects after the mother took Paxil during the pregnancy. Many of these instances involved heart defects.
If you have a Paxil claim, please contact the pharmaceutical liability attorneys at The Cochran Firm today to schedule your free initial consultation. We serve clients nationwide.
The $1 billion will be used to settle more than 800 pending cases. Victims will receive an average of $1.2 million each. There are still more than 100 Paxil claims pending against Glaxo. The company has set aside $2.4 billion to cover litigation claims stemming from Paxil and their diabetes drug, Avandia.
After settling the 800 birth defect claims, Glaxo has paid over $2 billion in defective drug claims regarding the drug. Previous claims alleged that Paxil caused suicides, attempted suicides, and addiction problems in patients taking the drug.
While Glaxo has agreed to settle the cases, a spokesperson for the company has stated that they believe they acted responsibly when conducting clinical trials, marketing the drug, and monitoring its safety after it received FDA approval.
Glaxo agreed to the massive settlement of the birth defect claims after a Philadelphia jury awarded $2.5 million in damages to the family of Lyam Kilker, a 3-year-old who was born with a heart defect. His mother was taking Paxil during the pregnancy. In this case, the jury found that Glaxo failed to properly warn the doctor treating Lyam’s mother that Paxil may lead to birth defects, and they concluded that the drug was a "factual cause" of Lyam’s heart defects.
Internal Glaxo documents surfaced during the trial indicating that company executives discussed burying negative studies related to Paxil’s link to birth defects. Other documents were produced stating that Glaxo’s scientists were alarmed by the increasing number of children born with birth defects after the mother took Paxil during the pregnancy. Many of these instances involved heart defects.
If you have a Paxil claim, please contact the pharmaceutical liability attorneys at The Cochran Firm today to schedule your free initial consultation. We serve clients nationwide.
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posted by Benjamin A. Irwin at 7:06 AM
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