7th Cir. Overturns $3 Million Wrongful Death Verdict in Paxil Suicide Case

CHICAGO — A federal appeals court has overturned a $3 million verdict in a case involving the suicide of a law firm partner who ingested Paxil for a week before his death, holding that federal law prevented GlaxoSmithKline LLC from adding a warning concerning the alleged association between the drug and suicide in adults.

In an Aug. 22 opinion, the 7th Circuit noted that GSK had asked the Food and Drug Administration for permission to modify the Paxil (paroxetine) label to add a warning concerning suicide in adults. As such, federal law preempted the plaintiff’s Illinois-law claim that GSK should …