Glaxo Loses Big Paxil Birth Defects Case
A Pennsylvania jury has concluded that Paxil was to blame for the birth defects now suffered by a 3-year-old boy, and has awarded his family $2.5 million.
During the trial, attorneys for the plaintiffs presented internal Glaxo documents, including e-mails and memos, that showed the company’s own scientists and executives were aware of Paxil’s link to birth defects, yet minimized the risk to doctors. Other evidence presented suggested Glaxo aggressively promoted Paxil for use in pregnant women even after suspecting the risk.
The jury found 10-2 that Glaxo officials “negligently failed to warn” the doctor treating the child’s mother, Bloomberg.com said. It also concluded the antidepressant was a “factual cause” of the child’s heart defects. However the plaintiffs were not awarded punitive damages because the jury did not find Glaxo’s handling of the drug to be “outrageous.” The Philadelphia jury awarded the plaintiffs more than double the $1.2 million they had sought.
