GlaxoSmithKline settle 2 Paxil cases 'Out of Court'

These two slipped under the radar, proof that settlements made out of court rarely make the news when settled at an early stage.

This from Bloomberg, April 30th 2009

GlaxoSmithKline was to go to trial May 4 in Philadelphia on claims by the family of Thomas Turek, who killed himself on his 47th birthday in 2003, eight days after he started taking Paxil.

Side Effects

The antidepressant made him agitated and paranoid, and the company understated its side effects, his family said.

The judge refused to throw out the case, citing the Wyeth decision. Glaxo settled April 24 on confidential terms.

Sarah Alspach, a Glaxo spokeswoman, confirmed the settlement and declined to comment further.

The court’s decision on the Turek case will be extended to about 25 other Paxil suits in Philadelphia, the patients’ lawyer Bijan Esfandiari said. The first trial will be July 20.

Glaxo, based in London, also settled a Paxil case set for trial May 4 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, after the court rejected the preemption argument because of the Wyeth decision. The family of Jack Van Dyke sued in 2005, claiming Paxil was responsible for his suicide. Settlement terms weren’t disclosed.

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