The makers of Paxil have settled almost 200 lawsuits in which the antidepressant is claimed to have caused birth defects. The terms are being kept confidential.
In the majority of the cases, infants were born with heart defects, the result of the mother taking Paxil while pregnant. The most prominent case contended the child was born with no fewer than three cardiac defects, including a hole between the two chambers of his heart that disrupted the aorta.
The news gets more disturbing. It appears GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer, didn’t follow up with additional tests after initial animal testing indicated the drug might cause problems. In 1997, a memo from a company executive stated, “If neg, results can bury.”
Plaintiffs have filed at least 600 cases alleging Paxil is to blame for congenital birth defects. Paxil generates GSK nearly $3 billion in profits annually.
