Chantix Suicide Link Strengthened by New Study

A team of researchers is calling on the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to beef up warnings for Chantix side effects, after their study found the drug’s psychological side effects make it unsuitable for first-line use as a smoking-cessation aid. The FDA, however, continues to maintain that Chantix is a safe and effective way to help smokers quit. The team analyzed 3,249 case reports of serious injury included in the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System from 1998 through September 2010 for self-injurious behavior or depression linked to Chantix psychological problems. Zyban, an antidepressant approved for smoking cessation, and nicotine replacement products. They found that since 1998, 90 percent of the cases of suicidal behavior or depression were linked to Chantix. In comparison, only 7 percent were associated with Zyban, and 3 percent were linked to nicotine replacement products.

There have been many reports of users of the drug committing suicide or inflicting injury on themselves or others while using Chantix. Chantix lawyers allege that Pfizer has failed to adequately warn users about the risk of Chantix suicide side effects. Their actions have prevented people from recognizing the thoughts that may be caused by the drug before it resulted in serious physical injury or death. Prior to introducing the medication, Pfizer specifically excluded from Chantix safety and efficacy trials many people who were potential target users of the drug, including those with a history of drug or alcohol abuse, those with cardiovascular disease within six months and those recently treated for psychiatric symptoms like depression, bipolar disorder, psychosis or panic disorders.

Hundreds of Chantix lawsuits filed in federal district courts throughout the United States are consolidated as part of a multidistrict litigation, or MDL, which is centralized before U.S. District Judge Inge Johnson in the Northern District of Alabama. As the litigation moves forward, Chantix lawyers are continuing to review and file cases on behalf of individuals who suffered serious or fatal injuries that may have been caused by the psychological effects of the drug. More than a two dozen new Chantix complaints have been filed against Pfizer this month in the Northern District of Alabama, and the number of lawsuits included in the Chantix litigation is expected to continue to grow.