Britain’s largest pharmaceutical company concealed clinical test results that suggested Paxil unsafe, says BBC Wednesday, January 31, 2007 by: Beau Hodai Printable version   Key concepts: Paxil, pharmaceutical fraud and pharmaceutical company.

Is the FDA a threat to your health? Fight for Your Health, Exposing the FDA's betrayal of America by Byron Richards. "This book should be read by every American." - Mike Adams, editor, NewsTarget.com Learn the uncensored truth about: The corruption of top FDA officials Why the FDA is a danger to public safety How drug companies conspire with the FDA to discredit alternatives How the FDA uses scientific fraud and censorship to fool the public How we can WIN the war on health freedom and take back our future! Receive two free gifts when you order from us, including Mike Adams' "Top Ten Ways to Protect Your Health Freedom" checklist. Click here to learn more

Paxil, Seroxat or Paroxetine, as the drug is generically known, is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), and has been available on the U.S. market since 1992. Paxil was once GSK’s most profitable product- grossing $1.9 billion in 2005 alone.

In 2004, GSK was faced with numerous class-action lawsuits in the both Europe and the United States on behalf of parents and children who claimed that the pharmaceutical company covered up evidence from clinical trials that suggested that Paxil was ineffective and even unsafe for juvenile use.

An internal document leaked earlier that year revealed that GSK had been warned about the potential ill effects of the drug’s application to children. The company was advised that it would be “commercially unacceptable” to release the data because it could “undermine the profile” of the drug.

As a result of a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer, GSK agreed to release all clinical data pertaining to the antidepressant and pay $2.5 million in restitution.

Panorama also claimed that GSK utilized ghostwriters to skew the reports of ‘independent’ academics.

Child psychiatrist Dr. Neal Ryan of the University of Pittsburgh, was one such ghostwriter employed by GSK. Study 329 was one of several studies conducted on Paxil between 1993 and 2003. Dr. Ryan was one of the co-authors of the study.

Study 329 revealed that, out of 190 patients between the ages of 12 and 18 years, 11 children on Paxil displayed elements of suicidal behavior, versus only two on placebo.

“Even when they have negative studies that show that this drug Seroxat is going to harm some kids they still spin that study as remarkably effective and safe for children,” said Karen Barth Menzies, a partner in the law firm of Baum Hedlund, representing several families in a U.S. class action lawsuit against GSK.

Menzies provided legal council, pro bono, to Christopher Pittman, who, in 2005 at age 12, killed both of his grandparents while under the influence of Zoloft (Sertaline, manufactured by Pfizer), another SSRI antidepressant.

“Originally we had planned to do extensive media relations surrounding this study until we actually viewed the results,” read an internal GSK email discovered amongst the thousands of documents released by GSK pursuant to the 2004 Spitzer settlement. “Essentially, the study did not really show it was effective in treating adolescent depression, which is not something we want to publicize,” said the email.

In a press release Monday, GSK said: “In developing Seroxat, GSK has always been strongly conscious of the duty it owes to the millions of patients, including those under the age of 18, who suffer from depression and we refute any allegation that we have failed in this duty.

“GSK utterly rejects any suggestion that it has improperly withheld drug trial information. Results from its pediatrics studies were documented and submitted to regulators in accordance with regulatory requirements.”

“This kind of scientific fraud is routine,” said Mike Adams, author of"Natural Health Solutions."

"Drug companies engage in censorship, bribery, corruption, fraud, suppression of negative studies and all varieties of unscrupulous tactics to prevent the public from knowing the truth. I’ve documented numerous examples in my book that show both drug companies and the FDA engaging in deliberate scientific fraud,” said Adams.

###

Readers' rating: (Out of 10)

Vote now: How would you rate this article from 1 to 10? (1=poor, 10=excellent. Votes are reflected within 1 business day.)

Comments from readers:

Win $100 in eco-friendly products and receive our Natural Health Newsletter FREE Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NewsTarget editors and join over 500,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber! 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy. Our privacy policy. Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more. Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions. Your Email Address: Free Subscription Code: Enter the numbers you see: Testimonials From Current Subscribers "Your newsletter is even better than books I've paid for!" - S. Knudson "I can't thank you enough for sharing this for free. It's been a godsend..." - C. Nicholas "Every day, I forward the NewsTarget Insider to probably five friends, and they love it!" - C. Engel "... there's at least one really good article for me to read every day, and I read it and follow it." - N. Post "I'm still not sure why you don't charge $79 a year for this like all the other health newsletters..." - M. White "Just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have a special place in my prayers for your gift of this newsletter." - O. Davenport "As a nutritionist and naturopath, I love your website. Mike Adams is spot on..." - A. Dunev, B.S., C.N., PhD "I credit huge amounts to NewsTarget, which has provided me with education, humor, and courage to step away from the established medical assumptions which have actually been making me worse all these years." - A. O'Neal "I am writing to tell you how much I appreciate your newsletter. I am an RN case manager and I regularly share the information I learn from your site with my patients. Thank you for doing such fine work." - L. Smith "Your site is so interesting! I love what you have to say in every area. The articles on the real estate bubble are very clear and, I believe, right on target (thank goodness I own my house free and clear and don't have a second one). Your nutrition stuff is always excellent too, and the political stuff is so fun and right on "target". Keep up the great work!" - T. Miller "Thank you for all the time and effort that's gone into the CWRC and Newstarget sites, I've spent the last two weeks or so plowing through them, and have come out the other side much more educated, and motivated to start paying a lot more attention to my own health." - Conrad "Outstanding work! It has helped me to organize my confused ideas about many health topics, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Doctors I have visited do not like to spend the time educating you. I have only learned through your many written articles. I copy them to my Word files for future reference and study. Congratulations and thanks for your help!" - C. Noguera "Thanks for all the wonderful information which I constantly receive. I am so sated with knowledge at the moment, I am euphoric." - C. Tinder-Smith "I subscribe to your newsletter and forward them to friends and family. I'm always thankful for reading anything that is written in the best interest of people as opposed to big companies." - L. Harter This page powered by the WebSeed Content Management System (CMS) created by Mike Adams.