Lawsuit charges Pfizer misled public about anti-depressant Zoloft

[Guest guest]

> ssri-research

> JustSayNo

> Fri, 23 Jul 2004 19:56:48 -0700 (PDT)

> [sSRI-Research] Lawsuit charges Pfizer

> misled public about anti-depressant Zoloft

>

> Ah, Pfizer -- the company whose slogan used to be,

> " We're part of the cure "

> (before they changed it to, " Life is our life's

> work " ):

>

> =============================

>

> Lawsuit charges Pfizer misled public about

> anti-depressant Zoloft

>

> ALEX VEIGA || Associated Press

>

> Posted on Fri, Jul. 23, 2004

>

> LOS ANGELES - A California woman is suing Pfizer

> Inc., claiming the drug

> maker mislead physicians and patients about the

> safety, effectiveness and

> side effects of the anti-depressant drug Zoloft.

>

> The 19-page complaint, filed Friday in Los Angeles

> Superior Court, contends

> that Pfizer buried evidence showing the drug was no

> more effective than a

> placebo and its users tended to develop an array of

> side effects, including

> withdrawal symptoms, dependency, convulsions and

> psychosis.

>

> The lawsuit also accused the New York-based drug

> maker of suppressing data

> indicating the drug increased the risk of suicidal

> and violent impulses in

> users.

>

> " Pfizer has engaged in repeated and persistent false

> and misleading conduct

> by misrepresenting, concealing and otherwise failing

> to disclose to

> physicians and other prescribing health care

> providers information in its

> possession ... concerning the safety and

> effectiveness of Zoloft, " the

> lawsuit claims.

>

> The woman, Roberta Madison, was identified as a

> nurse and doctor of Public

> Health who lives in Los Angeles.

>

> Madison's claim does not stem from personal injury,

> the suit states. Instead

> she decided to sue on behalf of all Californians who

> " have been misled about

> Zoloft, " the law firm representing her said in a

> statement.

>

> The suit asked the court to order Pfizer to pay an

> undetermined amount of

> money in restitution, including proceeds from Zoloft

> sales, to users of the

> drug in California. It also seeks a court order

> forcing Pfizer to give

> access to Zoloft research studies.

>

> The lawsuit asserts that while Pfizer has been known

> to publicize positive

> information about Zoloft, the company has

> " intentionally withheld and

> concealed " negative information on the drug,

> ultimately hampering

> physicians' ability to determine whether to

> prescribe the drug.

>

> The suit also claims early Pfizer studies of the

> drug's effectiveness were

> negative, failed or were neutral, and the majority

> of the studies showed

> there were no clinically or statistically

> significant differences between

> the drug and placebo, but the drug maker concealed

> the results.

>

> " Many Pfizer studies not only failed to demonstrate

> that Zoloft is

> efficacious, they clearly demonstrated that Zoloft

> is associated with

> serious, severe and sometimes fatal side effects, "

> the suit claimed.

>

> A message left after hours with a Pfizer spokesman

> was not immediately

> returned Friday.

>

> =============================

>

> http://tinyurl.com/66yjg

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

>