Federal Judge Transfers Suicide Case Out of Paxil 'Nerve Center'

PHILADELPHIA - A Paxil case filed by the parents of an 11-year-old boy who killed himself while taking the drug has been transferred to Kansas, despite the plaintiffs' contention that Pennsylvania was the preferred venue because it was the "nerve center" for the drug's development. Blain, et al. v. SmithKline Beecham Corp., No. 06-1247 (E.D. Pa.).

In an April 25 opinion, Judge Timothy J. Savage of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled that the more substantial events giving rise to the plaintiffs' claims occurred in Kansas and that several factors weigh in favor of transferring …