Pfizer Settles First Chantix Suicide Case
Drug manufacturing giant Pfizer Inc. has reached a settlement with the widow of a man who killed himself after taking the anti-smoking drug Chantix, according to Bloomberg News. The bellwether trial that was supposed to begin this week will not be held now that a settlement has been reached.
The widow of a Minnesota man claimed that her husband took his own life in 2007 after taking Chantix. She alleged that the company had failed to sufficiently warn that the drug could increase suicide risk.
A Pfizer spokesman acknowledged that the drug giant had settled the dangerous drug lawsuit in a tersely worded e-mail statement to Bloomberg. “We can confirm that we have settled this case,” the email read. “The terms are confidential.”
Some 2,500 other Chantix cases have been consolidated in a multidistrict litigation (MDL) in an Alabama federal court. The lawsuits claim that Chantix can cause depression and other psychological problems and that Pfizer was well aware of a link between Chantix and suicide, but failed to sufficiently warn patients.
For its part, Pfizer denied that Chantix led to the Minnesota man’s death or that they withheld information about the drug. Pfizer had issued a warning about reports of suicidal thoughts associated with the drug in 2006, which culminated in several warning updates that led to a “black box warning” in July 2009.
The Alabama-based attorney for the plaintiff said that the family was satisfied with the settlement, but that Pfizer had not offered to settle any of the other 400 cases he represents in the MDL.
The next trial over Chantix claims has been set for January 2013.
Have you, or somebody you love, been injured by Chantix side effects? A Florida Chantix side effect lawyer at Farah & Farah can answer questions you might have concerning your legal options. Call us at (800) 533-3555 for a free review of your case. We’re here to help your family.
By Eddie Farah
