Tomorrow sees the start of an inquest into the death of Canadian teenager Sara Carlin - an inquest that was at first denied but after public pressure was granted to the parents of Sara, Neil and Rhonda Carlin.
The inquest was due to begin in November last year but was postponed at the request of her family.
On May 6th 2007, 18-year-old Sara Allison Carlin, suffering from the side effects of Paxil, grabbed a piece of electrical wiring, fashioned a crude noose and hanged herself in the basement of her parents’ house.
I am very familiar with this story and feel only a small amount of pain that the Carlin's will undoubtedly feel over the coming weeks.
Sara was a beautiful young girl with her whole life in front of her.
Her life will no doubt be painted in a way that benefits GlaxoSmithKline. Of all the cases I have seen regarding death brought on by Paxil, the defence usually like to portray the victim in a bad light. I don't think this case will be any different and anticipate that the emphasis of this case will be used to target Sara rather than find her the justice that she and her family deserve.
Sara was let down by her doctor, she was let down by the Canadian Medicines regulator, Health Canada. She was also let down by the manufacturers of Paxil, GlaxoSmithKline.
Had Glaxo had been more forthcoming regarding the safety and efficacy of Paxil in children and adolescents, then Sara would probably still be alive today. If Sara's doctor's had been made aware of the Paxil 329 studies, in which Glaxo cleverly manipulated the data, then they would not have prescribed Paxil to Sara.
GlaxoSmithKline owe the Carlin's the mother of all apologies. Only trouble is, Glaxo actually believe that they have done nothing wrong.
I, for one, would have loved to have been able to sit in the public gallery tomorrow, if only to look in to the eyes of the law team representing GlaxoSmithKline.
Related stories:
Sara Carlin: A life cut way too short
Paxil Study 329: Paroxetine vs Imipramine vs Placebo in Adolescents
Critical report but no UK law suit for GSK over Seroxat/Paxil
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