GlaxoSmith Kline must pay 2.5 million in birth defect case

Jury Awards $2.5M In Paxil Birth Defect Case

This is just the first of 600 pending cases across the country. The problem, GlaxoSmith Kline continued to promote the use of Paxil, while withholding evidence that it caused birth defects.

In another article linked to this issue:

GlaxoSmithKline Admits Paxil Is Likely Linked to Birth Defects

According to company documents, GlaxoSmithKline received an email from a Paxil user in 2001. The woman stated that she was forced to abort her fetus because it had a serious heart defect. Jane Nieman, a former Glaxo-drug safety official, recently testified that Glaxo officials noted in company files that they were “almost certain” that Paxil was linked to birth defects.

Nieman’s testimony came during a separate trial from the woman who wrote the 2001 email. However, Lyam Kilker also took Paxil and her 3-year-old son now suffers from a life-threatening heart defect. Kilker alleges that GlaxoSmithKline failed to inform consumers and regulators of the potential risks of taking Paxil. Lawyers for Kilker also argue that Glaxo launched a campaign to convince doctors to write more prescriptions for pregnant women dealing with anxiety. Since its approval in the U.S. in 1992, Glaxo has generated about $942 million each year from Paxil sales.

Here is the e-mail exchange from the Paxil user in 2001.

How many times do we see these stories, after the damage is done? And yet, we are repeatedly told of the safety of these drugs?