Paxil 'Dear Doctor' Letter Insufficient to Prove Causation

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - GlaxoSmithKline has been awarded summary judgment in a case brought by the family of a 36-year-old man who killed himself after taking Paxil, despite claims by the plaintiffs that the drug maker admitted the link between the drug and suicide. Vanderwerf v. SmithKlineBeecham Corp., et al., No. 05-2271 (D. Kan.).

The Jan. 9 decision from Judge Kathryn H. Vratil of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas noted that a statement from GSK indicating a "possible" risk of suicide associated with Paxil was insufficient to show that the drug caused the death of William …