Paxil/GSK Murder and Suicide Product Liability Case
Settled in 2002
Breggin Report Unsealed in 2006
A Massive Lacuzong Paxil product liability suit settled in January 2002 against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). The suit, Lacuzong v. SmithKline Beecham, was brought in California. (Lacuzong v. Davidson et al, Superior Court of the State of California, County of Santa Clara, Case No.: CV 773623). The suit accused the drug company of negligence in testing the drug and in failing to adequately disclose its harmful effects. The company continues to deny the allegations, even as the data has been accumulating to this time in 2017.
The case was brought by the family of Mr. Lacuzong who drowned himself and his two small children in a bathtub immediately after his first three doses of Paxil 10 mg. During that time he developed akathisia (a dangerous psychomotor agitation) that is known to be associated with violence and suicide. Mr. Lacuzong had no history of mental disorders and was probably given the Paxil for work stress or smoking cessation.
The heart of the successful case was Dr. Breggin’s lengthy expert opinion and report based on his three-day onsite investigation of GSK’s secret files. Unfortunately, the settlement sealed Dr. Breggin’s large Lacuzong report. Then in 2006, in another Paxil/GSK productive liability suit involving Dr. Breggin, a new judge opened Dr. Breggin’s report to the public.
In 2006 in quick succession, Dr. Breggin published three detailed scientific reports on Paxil-induced violence, suicide and akathisia, as well as the negligence and fraud perpetrated by GSK in developing and marketing Paxil. Here are the first, second, and third published reports. Here is Dr. Breggin’s original Lacuzong report that led to the settlement with GSK in 2002 and to later settlements by the company.
Dr. Breggin worked closely with plaintiff’s attorney Don Farber of San Jose, California. Before the resolution of the suit, Dr. Breggin and Mr. Farber had the opportunity to examine internal corporate documents at the headquarters of GSK. Dr. Breggin spent three days inside the corporate headquarters of GlaxoSmithKline with his assistant Ian examining the company’s secret records.
Severe Adverse Reactions After One or Two Doses
Dr. Breggin’s documentation from GSK’s files that serious and even deadly adverse reactions can occur after only one, two or three doses is critical. Physicians and patients are not aware that many severe adverse drug effects can surface at the start of antidepressant treatment. These misled doctors are not likely to warn patients and their families about adverse events occurring after one or two doses. Furthermore, these doctors may discount the patient’s report when these early reactions occur. They may urge the patient to continue taking the drug so that the patient ends up developing an unnecessarily severe reaction.
See the following books by Dr. Breggin for further information on antidepressants:
Brain-Disabling Treatments in Psychiatry, Second Edition
Medication Madness: the Role of Psychiatric Drugs in Case of Violence, Suicide and Crime
Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal: A Guide for Prescribers, Therapists, Patients and Their Families
These books provide documentation and further detailed discussions of issues surrounding the use of antidepressants, including the SSRIs like Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro and Effexor.
