The Paxil Protest - Sept. 26-28, 2005

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[sSRI-Research] The Paxil Protest - Sept. 26-28, 2005

 

 

 

 

 

Site of the Sept. 26th — Sept. 28th, 2005 Paxil Protest

 

GlaxoSmithKline

200 North 16th Street

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

 

 

http://www.paxilprotest.com/

 

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens

can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.

 

 

— Margaret Mead

 

 

Welcome to the Paxil Protest

 

This action — aimed at pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline —

represents one of the few times in history a group of concerned

United States citizens have come together in a high profile manner to

warn the public about a dangerous and defective drug, and to protest

the egregious conduct of its manufacturer and distributor.

 

Specifically, this demonstration will shine an unblinking spotlight

on GlaxoSmithKline's unconscionable marketing and distribution

of " Paxil " in the United States, and " Seroxat " in the United Kingdom.

GSK further markets the drug under many other trade names throughout

the world.

 

While GlaxoSmithKline provides an abundance of information to the

public and medical community about the alleged positive aspects of

Paxil — through ads on television and in newspapers and magazines,

promotional material provided to doctors, sponsorship of studies,

medical meetings and seminars, substantial donations to mental health

groups and organizations, government lobbying efforts, etc. — this

independent site provides a nexus of information and resource links

not readily available to the general public. Why isn't the

information presented on this website more well known, if known at

all? Quite simply because GlaxoSmithKline wants it that way.

 

If asked, GSK might well tell you that — were the public told the

truth about Paxil's potential to cause oftentimes severe adverse

reactions — patients who might have " benefited " from the drug would

be scared away from taking it, " to their own detriment. " (And to

GSK's detriment as well, since the company rakes in several billion

dollars a year in Paxil profits. Paxil isn't just a " cash cow " for

the company ... it's a whole herd in and of itself.)

 

It is up to you the consumer, not GSK, to decide what is right for

you after full disclosure of Paxil's dangerous side effects have been

made. Moreover, that those warnings are conveyed in a clear and

unambiguous manner.

 

This long overdue protest follows in the grand tradition of American

democracy. Society has a right, and a duty, to protect itself from

companies that make a mockery of the public trust, and operate in a

manner antithetical to the public's health and well-being. (Perhaps

some of you remember Ralph Nader's brilliant Unsafe At Any Speed

campaign waged against the automobile industry in the 60's.)

 

The Paxil Protest will further expose the history of Paxil's

development — a history in which GlaxoSmithKline knew even before

Paxil was approved that its drug could induce suicidality, dependency

and withdrawal. Furthermore, that GlaxoSmithKline (then SKB)

conspired to hide these effects from the Food and Drug Administration

in order to win approval for the drug. Why? So the company could

sieze upon and then dramatically expand into a burgeoning multi-

billion dollar " SSRI " anti-depressant market.

 

The Paxil Protest will also focus the public's attention on

additional hidden dangers of Paxil impacting women as a class, as

well as the subpopulation of women who are pregnant or who have just

given birth to newborns.

 

As a result of GlaxoSmithKline's hiding the truth from the public,

approximately 5,000 U.S. citizens have filed suit against GSK for the

oftentimes excruciatingly painful, prolonged, sometimes life-

threatening withdrawal symptoms experienced when stopping the drug.

 

Thousands more have sued GlaxoSmithKline in the U.K. on the same

basis.

 

Some of these lawsuits filed against GlaxoSmithKline are on behalf of

individuals who started Paxil — only discover they could not stop

taking the drug (even with extraordinary medical intervention); as a

consequence these persons have effectively been transformed into

lifetime Paxil addicts.

 

Additionally, hundreds of lawsuits filed against GlaxoSmithKline by

families asserting Paxil was the proximate cause of death of their

loved one via drug-induced suicide, (including children) are

currently pending, or have been " resolved " by GlaxoSmithKline. Of

these, the Donald Shell suicide/triple homicide is a standout. In

this case, GlaxoSmithKline (in a classic example of corporate hubris)

risked it all by squaring off with the families of the deceased in a

backwoods Wyoming courtroom. GlaxoSmithKline lost the suit, and in

spectacular fashion.