248 California Plaintiffs Involved in Joinder Suit Alleging Paxil Withdrawal Injuries

LOS ANGELES - Nearly 300 California residents who have suffered adverse withdrawal reactions when they reduced their dosage or attempted to stop using Paxil have filed suit against the manufacturer of the antidepressant claiming that it failed to warn consumers and physicians about the drug's ability to induce dependency and cause withdrawal symptoms. Annabelle Apodaca, et al., v. SmithKline Beecham Corp., No. 03-CV-06583 (C.D. Calif.).

According to the suit filed Sept. 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, SmithKline Beecham (SKB) deliberately withheld information about Paxil's ability to cause these kinds of adverse events in …