Article: British Regulatory Agency Bans Effexor Use in Children

October 5, 2003

On September 19, 2003, the UK Committee on Medicines banned the use of Wyeth's

antidepressant Effexor in children, warning that the drug can make them want to

kill themselves.

Efexor is reportedly being taken by at least 3,000 children in the UK, even

though guidance to doctors states that it should not be given to anyone under

18. It is the second antidepressant to be specifically banned from use in

children in four months.

There are around 50,000 children, some as young as six, on antidepressants in

the UK. Last year, doctors wrote 170,000 prescriptions of the drugs for children

under 18.

Just as with Seroxat, the GlaxoSmithKline drug banned in June, studies have

shown that Efexor can cause children to have suicidal thoughts or to become

hostile, a word which in the context of clinical trials can mean homicidal.

Experts at the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which licenses

drugs in the UK, are urging that children should not stop taking either drug

suddenly, but should consult their doctor.

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