ZOLOFT: adult suicide: lawsuit: Nebraska

[Guest guest]

Thanks to Rose.

Paragraph 5 reads: " And they knew he'd started taking the antidepressant

Zoloft. "

Paragraph 22 reads: " The FDA is studying suicidal tendencies in adult

patients who take such drugs and in June issued a public health advisory

warning of the possibility of increased suicidal behavior, especially early

in treatment. "

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2005/08/25/local/doc430d0b766354b324618564.t\

xt

Antidepressant led to man's suicide

BY MARGARET REIST / Lincoln Journal Star

, a 54-year-old Nebraska native who spent much of his life in

O'Neill, survived cancer surgery two years ago and was talking about

retiring, maybe moving to South Dakota.

And then one summer day, without warning, he left the job he'd had for 28

years, went home for lunch and shot himself, according to family members.

" It was a shock to everybody, " said his son Bowde of Ainsworth. " It

left us speechless, basically. "

Family members knew he'd been depressed, something his ex-wife Bonnie

says stemmed from the aftereffects of prostate surgery.

And they knew he'd started taking the antidepressant Zoloft.

What Bowde says he didn't know until after his father's death were

the looming concerns about the drug's side effects, concerns it could cause

suicidal or violent tendencies.

Some time later, he saw a newspaper advertisement from a Lincoln attorney's

office offering to evaluate claims stemming from the use of such drugs.

Earlier this month, with the help of that law firm, Bowde filed a

lawsuit in Lancaster County District Court against Pfizer Inc., manufacturer

of Zoloft.

The lawsuit claims Pfizer was negligent because it didn't properly test the

drug for its propensity to cause suicide or violence and for failing to warn

the public and medical professionals about the side effects. It asks for an

unspecified amount of general damages and funeral costs of $2,464.

Lawyers from both firms representing declined comment.

Pfizer spokesman Haskins said medical data from the 14 years Zoloft

has been on the market show cases like this have no merit.

Millions of people have successfully taken the drug, he said.

" Generally speaking, I can say the most reliable medical data available

continues to show it is safe, effective and an important treatment for

depression.''

Similar lawsuits are pending across the country against Pfizer and other

companies that make similar antidepressants.

Brava-Partain, an attorney with the Los Angeles firm Baum Hedlund,

said his firm has filed about a dozen Zoloft suicide cases and he knows of

about a dozen other Zoloft cases filed by other firms. Baum Hedlund is not

involved in 's case.

Most of the Zoloft cases are being litigated in federal court and are

pending, Brava-Partain said.

In a few cases, judges have sided with the drug companies, saying they

aren't liable because the Food and Drug Administration approved the drugs.

Most courts have rejected that argument, he said.

One of the first Zoloft trials is scheduled to begin in three weeks in

Texas, Brava-Partain said. A trial would be significant, he said, in light

of the recent jury verdict in a case against Merck and Co. Last week, a

Texas jury awarded $253.4 million to the widow of a man who took Vioxx, a

drug prescribed to arthritis sufferers.

Merck had stopped selling Vioxx last September after a study showed it

doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes for patients taking it for at

least 18 months. That triggered thousands of lawsuits against the company.

In antidepressant cases, the hope is drug companies will start warning

customers and doctors of the risk of increased suicidal behavior,

Brava-Partain said. No one is arguing the drugs should be taken off the

market, he said.

" These drug companies are realizing, I hope, that they can't hide this

information from doctors and the public,'' Brava-Partain said.

The FDA is studying the issue and in March 2004 required the manufacturers

of such antidepressants to issue a " black box'' warning to pediatric

patients, Brava-Partain said. The FDA is studying suicidal tendencies in

adult patients who take such drugs and in June issued a public health

advisory warning of the possibility of increased suicidal behavior,

especially early in treatment.

Pfizer has no problem with the idea doctors should closely monitor patients

prescribed the drug, Haskins said, noting that depression itself can cause

people to become suicidal.

According to the Nebraska lawsuit, was prescribed the drug on July

29, 2003, less than three weeks before he committed suicide

Bonnie , who remained close with her ex-husband years after they

divorced and who is a nurse, said she was familiar with the antidepressant

and was concerned had started taking it.

" He didn't even get through the samples (and start taking the actual

prescription) when he committed suicide, " she said.

When he was prescribed the drug, Bonnie said she was in Wyoming looking into

placement options for , their oldest son, who is autistic. She and

talked daily on the phone.

" I was anxious to get back because I wanted him off the drug, " she said.

Just hours before he killed himself, called a friend and asked him

to fix one of his vehicles, said Gordon , 's father. He left

no note and Gordon said he can't understand why his son took his own life.

He had no money problems, his cancer surgery was successful and he had no

enemies, his father said. His family said he'd been cancer-free for four

months.

" There's no reason in the world for him to do this, " Gordon said.

Bowde , who graduated from Chadron State College after his father's

death because he'd made a promise to his dad, doesn't know what will happen

with the lawsuit.

But he does know how devastating his father's death has been to his whole

family.

" On a good day you think about it 100 times, " he said. " On a bad day, you

think about it 1,000 times. "

Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or

<mailto:mreist@...>mreist@....

[Guest guest]

Thanks to Rose.

Paragraph 5 reads: " And they knew he'd started taking the antidepressant

Zoloft. "

Paragraph 22 reads: " The FDA is studying suicidal tendencies in adult

patients who take such drugs and in June issued a public health advisory

warning of the possibility of increased suicidal behavior, especially early

in treatment. "

http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2005/08/25/local/doc430d0b766354b324618564.t\

xt

Antidepressant led to man's suicide

BY MARGARET REIST / Lincoln Journal Star

, a 54-year-old Nebraska native who spent much of his life in

O'Neill, survived cancer surgery two years ago and was talking about

retiring, maybe moving to South Dakota.

And then one summer day, without warning, he left the job he'd had for 28

years, went home for lunch and shot himself, according to family members.

" It was a shock to everybody, " said his son Bowde of Ainsworth. " It

left us speechless, basically. "

Family members knew he'd been depressed, something his ex-wife Bonnie

says stemmed from the aftereffects of prostate surgery.

And they knew he'd started taking the antidepressant Zoloft.

What Bowde says he didn't know until after his father's death were

the looming concerns about the drug's side effects, concerns it could cause

suicidal or violent tendencies.

Some time later, he saw a newspaper advertisement from a Lincoln attorney's

office offering to evaluate claims stemming from the use of such drugs.

Earlier this month, with the help of that law firm, Bowde filed a

lawsuit in Lancaster County District Court against Pfizer Inc., manufacturer

of Zoloft.

The lawsuit claims Pfizer was negligent because it didn't properly test the

drug for its propensity to cause suicide or violence and for failing to warn

the public and medical professionals about the side effects. It asks for an

unspecified amount of general damages and funeral costs of $2,464.

Lawyers from both firms representing declined comment.

Pfizer spokesman Haskins said medical data from the 14 years Zoloft

has been on the market show cases like this have no merit.

Millions of people have successfully taken the drug, he said.

" Generally speaking, I can say the most reliable medical data available

continues to show it is safe, effective and an important treatment for

depression.''

Similar lawsuits are pending across the country against Pfizer and other

companies that make similar antidepressants.

Brava-Partain, an attorney with the Los Angeles firm Baum Hedlund,

said his firm has filed about a dozen Zoloft suicide cases and he knows of

about a dozen other Zoloft cases filed by other firms. Baum Hedlund is not

involved in 's case.

Most of the Zoloft cases are being litigated in federal court and are

pending, Brava-Partain said.

In a few cases, judges have sided with the drug companies, saying they

aren't liable because the Food and Drug Administration approved the drugs.

Most courts have rejected that argument, he said.

One of the first Zoloft trials is scheduled to begin in three weeks in

Texas, Brava-Partain said. A trial would be significant, he said, in light

of the recent jury verdict in a case against Merck and Co. Last week, a

Texas jury awarded $253.4 million to the widow of a man who took Vioxx, a

drug prescribed to arthritis sufferers.

Merck had stopped selling Vioxx last September after a study showed it

doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes for patients taking it for at

least 18 months. That triggered thousands of lawsuits against the company.

In antidepressant cases, the hope is drug companies will start warning

customers and doctors of the risk of increased suicidal behavior,

Brava-Partain said. No one is arguing the drugs should be taken off the

market, he said.

" These drug companies are realizing, I hope, that they can't hide this

information from doctors and the public,'' Brava-Partain said.

The FDA is studying the issue and in March 2004 required the manufacturers

of such antidepressants to issue a " black box'' warning to pediatric

patients, Brava-Partain said. The FDA is studying suicidal tendencies in

adult patients who take such drugs and in June issued a public health

advisory warning of the possibility of increased suicidal behavior,

especially early in treatment.

Pfizer has no problem with the idea doctors should closely monitor patients

prescribed the drug, Haskins said, noting that depression itself can cause

people to become suicidal.

According to the Nebraska lawsuit, was prescribed the drug on July

29, 2003, less than three weeks before he committed suicide

Bonnie , who remained close with her ex-husband years after they

divorced and who is a nurse, said she was familiar with the antidepressant

and was concerned had started taking it.

" He didn't even get through the samples (and start taking the actual

prescription) when he committed suicide, " she said.

When he was prescribed the drug, Bonnie said she was in Wyoming looking into

placement options for , their oldest son, who is autistic. She and

talked daily on the phone.

" I was anxious to get back because I wanted him off the drug, " she said.

Just hours before he killed himself, called a friend and asked him

to fix one of his vehicles, said Gordon , 's father. He left

no note and Gordon said he can't understand why his son took his own life.

He had no money problems, his cancer surgery was successful and he had no

enemies, his father said. His family said he'd been cancer-free for four

months.

" There's no reason in the world for him to do this, " Gordon said.

Bowde , who graduated from Chadron State College after his father's

death because he'd made a promise to his dad, doesn't know what will happen

with the lawsuit.

But he does know how devastating his father's death has been to his whole

family.

" On a good day you think about it 100 times, " he said. " On a bad day, you

think about it 1,000 times. "

Reach Margaret Reist at 473-7226 or

<mailto:mreist@...>mreist@....