Antidepressants: Child Suicide and Wrongful Death Lawsuits

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Thu, 14 Oct 2004 22:14:06 -0400

[sSRI-Research] Antidepressants: Child Suicide and Wrongful

Death Lawsuits

 

Anti-depressant drugs are sold under multiple brand names around the

world. Prozac in the US is sold elsewhere as Fluctine Lilly, Prozac

Lilly, Prozac Dista Lilly, Fluxeren Merarini, and Fantex Lilly; Zoloft

in the US is sold elsewhere as Zoloft Pfizer, Serlain Pfizer/Roerig,

Lustral Pfizer/Invicta, and Besitran Pfizer; Paxil in the US is sold

elsewhere as Aropax, Deroxat, Paroxet, Paxan, Paxtine, Paxxet,

Seroxat, Tagonis, and XET; Wellbutrin in the US is sold elsewhere as

Wellbutrin SR and Zyban SR; and Celexa in the US is sold elsewhere as

Cipramil.

 

 

The Controversy Over Antidepressants

http://www.antidepressantsandchildsuicide.com/

 

Antidepressant prescription drugs developed for adults are

regularly prescribed to young persons even though most have never been

specifically approved for use by depressed children and adolescents.

 

It is estimated that children and adolescents make up about

8% of patients prescribed antidepressant drugs in the U.S.,

constituting over ten million prescriptions dispensed for patients

younger than 18 years in 2003. These drugs include Prozac, Paxil,

Zoloft, Wellbutrin and Celexa.

 

In September 2004, a US Food and Drug Administration

advisory committee called for the labels of all antidepressants to get

a tough " black box " warning about the risk of increased suicidal

tendencies in young people. Such warnings are used to signal extremely

serious side effects for a prescription drug.

 

The recommendation applies to all antidepressants, including

newer categories such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and

older ones, such as tricyclics. The committee's broadly worded

proposal also appears likely to encompass newly approved products. The

committee, however, stopped short of urging the agency to recommend

against the use of any of the antidepressants for young people.

 

Child Suicide and Wrongful Death Lawsuits

 

Parents of children prescribed antidepressant medications

who committed suicide have filed wrongful death lawsuits claiming that

the pharmaceutical companies failed to disclose the link between the

drugs and increased suicidal thoughts and behaviors in young people.

 

Legal Background: The Rights of Patients Injured by Prescription Drugs

 

The law in most states provides several personal injury

claims for persons who have been seriously injured by a prescription

drug with dangerous, undisclosed side effects. These claims include

strict liability for a defective product, breach of warranty,

negligence, and misrepresentation.

 

Damages sought against manufacturers of an allegedly

dangerous prescription drug typically include:

Physical pain and suffering, mental anguish and physical impairment;

Medical expenses associated with the allegedly defective product; and

Loss of earnings and/or earning capacity.

 

For persons who have died, family members can bring a

wrongful death action. Contact Lieff Cabraser

 

If you or a family member have suffered a serious injury or

a loved one committed suicide after being prescribed an antidepressant

drug, you may be eligible to file a claim against the manufacturer.

 

Please click here to contact an attorney at Lieff Cabraser

to discuss your legal rights at no cost or obligation. We will handle

all inquiries with the strictest confidentiality and sensitivity.

 

Alternatively, you may call us toll-free at 1-800-541-7358

and ask to speak to partner Heather A. Foster.

 

We also welcome inquiries from counsel considering

referring a case. Lieff Cabraser has strong relations with the

plaintiffs' bar across the US

Lieff Cabraser: Experienced Product Liability Lawyers

 

Founded in 1972, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP is

a nearly sixty attorney law firm with offices in San Francisco, New

York, Washington, D.C., Beverly Hills, and Nashville. In 2003 and

2004, the National Law Journal recognized Lieff Cabraser as one of the

top 20 plaintiffs' law firms in America.

 

For our personal injury cases, we bring a team of

experienced lawyers. Each client is assigned a partner and an

associate. In addition, we have on staff multiple nurses, legal

assistants, scientific analysts and case clerks to assist the attorneys.

 

We have represented thousands of patients who ingested

prescription drugs with dangerous undisclosed side effects, and

patients who received defective medical devices in personal injury

lawsuits across America, including residents of Alaska, Alabama,

Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,

Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky,

Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota,

Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New

Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma,

Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas,

Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Wyoming.

 

We look forward to communicating with you and answering any

questions you may have. To learn more about the competitive advantages

our firm offers clients in personal injury and products liability

cases,

Notice on Practice and Statute of Limitations

 

Lieff Cabraser attorneys provide legal advice and practice

law for clients in federal district courts throughout the United

States and in state courts where we are licensed to practice. In

states in which our lawyers are not licensed to practice, we have

affiliations with local attorneys who serve as co-counsel with our

firm. Please read our Disclaimer.

 

Persons seeking to preserve any potential legal claims for

allegedly dangerous and/or defective products should contact an

attorney promptly because all states have mandatory time periods

(called " statutes of limitation " ) within which lawsuits must be filed.

Otherwise, a person's claims may be forever barred. In some states,

the statute of limitations period for filing personal injury claims is

only one year from the date of injury.

 

 

Trademark Notice

" Prozac " is a registered trademark of Eli Lilly and Company.

" Paxil " and " Wellbutrin " are registered trademarks of GlaxoSmithKline.

" Zoloft " is a registered trademark of Pfizer Inc. " Celexa " is a

registered trademark of Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc. The use of these

marks is solely for product identification purposes. Lieff Cabraser

Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, is in no way affiliated with Eli Lilly and

Company, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer Inc. or Forest Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

 

 

2004 Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP

 

 

Since 2003, a controversy has raged over potential risks related to

the use of anti-depressants in young people. Parents of children who

have committed suicide after being prescribed anti-depressants have

filed lawsuits for negligence against the drug manufacturers and

treating physicians.

 

To contact in confidence an experienced personal injury attorney at

Lieff Cabraser regarding this litigation,

 

Click here to read recent press articles relating to Antidepressant

drugs and child suicide

 

 

Lieff Cabraser has participated in twenty $100 million-plus

settlements and verdicts. To read a summary,