In July 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a “black box” warning, its sternest warning short of a recall, for two of the top smoking cessation prescription medications, Zyban and Chantix. The warning follows reports that the anti-smoking drugs caused unusual changes in behavior, including aggression, agitation, depression and suicidal thoughts.

Chantix, Zyban and Suicide

Since Chantix’s release in 2006, the drug has been linked to 98 reports of suicide and 188 reports of attempted suicide. In addition, Zyban has been connected to 14 reports of suicide 17 attempted suicides.  The FDA has received more than 1,000 reports of serious injury in Chantix users; this exceeds the number of reports levied against the top ten best-selling drugs combined.

Chantix and Zyban, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer Incorporated respectively, are prescription smoking cessation medications that help smokers break their nicotine addiction by blocking dopamine release, thus eliminating the feeling of pleasure smokers usually experience while smoking. Many believe the neuroreceptor manipulation has led to suicidal ideation, suicidal behavior, depression, aggression and other neuropsychiatric symptoms.

The FDA has also extended this warning to the anti-depressant, Wellbutrin, which is the same medication as Zyban, marketed under a different name.

Chantix, Zyban Lawsuits

Defective drug manufacturers, like GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer Inc., are responsible for thoroughly testing their products before releasing them to the market. If the drugs cause damage to consumers, they may be held liable and can be subject to personal injury litigation.

The lawyers of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis and Overhotlz hold advanced experience and expertise in filing defective drug claims against pharmaceutical companies. They can help you identify key components to build a strong case that can potentially award you millions of dollars. To learn more about filing a Chantix lawsuit or Zyban lawsuit, contact AWKO Law today at (888) 255-2956.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 2nd, 2009 at 2:53 pm and is filed under Defective Drugs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.