PROOF! Glaxo Pharmaceuticals Deliberately LIED About Teen Suicide Risk

Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia


Paroxetine is an antidepressant that was reported as both safe and effective for use in adolescence, but the notes from the clinical trial tell a different story.

Paroxetine is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor that is also marketed as Aropax, Paxil and Seroxat. After the clinical data of the drug was re-examined, researchers found a very high rate of suicidal behavior that failed to be reported on. The implications of this could prove quite disastrous. The devastating reason this will surely be disastrous is the fact that paroxetine is one of the most prescribed antidepressants in America.

SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline), a drug corporation (conflict of interest much?), published a paper back in 2001 claiming that Study 329, a trial for the drug, had found that paroxetine was safe for adolescents; more effective than the placebo; and more effective than the competing drug, imipramine.

Hope for a real report on the drug’s effects came in the form of Professor Jon Jureidini of the University of Adelaide. Jueridini is disputing the claims made by Study 329, again the study performed by a drug corporation,  in the British Medical Journal.

He had this to say about the study:

 “Although concerns had already been raised about Study 329, and the way it was reported, the data was not previously made available so researchers and clinicians weren’t able to identify all of the errors in the published report. It wasn’t until the data was made available for re-examination that it became apparent that paroxetine was linked to serious adverse reactions, with 11 of the patients taking paroxetine engaging in suicidal or self-harming behaviors compared to only one person in the group of patients who took the placebo.”

Another inconsistency is being brought up that dates back to the original papers. The original papers state,

“Neither paroxetine nor imipramine differed significantly from placebo on parent-or self-rating measures.”

However this is not reflected by the investigator assessments. The assessments instead showed a significant statistical difference between the patients given paroxitine and those given the placebo.

Professor Jureidini felt the possible explanation could be quite horrifying. He thought it could be posible that the investigators doing the assessments were informed of which patient was given the placebo and which was given the antidepressant.

With all of this coming together to prove yet again corporations are too often choosing profits over people, we as a people, are getting more and more reason to stand up. The news of what the corporation who created this falsified report has done comes very soon after the sad and disheartening actions of a corporation which chose to raise the price of a drug for cancer and AIDS by 5000%.

The people must stand up against every sleazy corporation that exists and enforce a people over profit mindset. If the people do not stand up, cases like these will become more and more prevalent.

Featured Image via Pildoras

Brett Banks is a native Texan majoring in Political Science. His interest in politics started when he was very young and has no end in sight. Brett is a fire breathing Progressive. As an advocate and member of the LGBTQ+ community he has aspirations to one day see equality for all. Follow him @brettbanks81 on twitter or find him on other social media.