The award followed a jury trial in a Chicago federal court regarding the case of Stewart Dolin, a partner at Reed Smith LLP who jumped in front of a commuter train in 2010 after taking generic Paxil.

GSK said in a statement it was dissapointed with the outcome and that the company should not be liable because it did not manufacture or market the drug taken by Dolin.

The medication’s labeling gave “complete and adequate” warnings at the time the drug was taken, according to GSK. The company plans to appeal the verdict.

Dolin’s wife, Wendy Dolin, filed the suit against GSK and Mylan, which manufactured paroxetine hydrochloride, the generic version of Paxil Stewart used before jumping to his death.

In 2014, a judge dismissed Mylan from the complaint but allowed the case to proceed against GSK because it controlled the drug’s design and label, which applied to branded and generic versions.

The labeling included a “black box” warning which indicated that paroxetine can increase the risk of suicidal behavior in patients under the age of 25.

Dolin’s lawyers had initially requested $39 million, alleging that GSK had evidence paroxetine increases the risk of suicide by as much as 670%, but failed to include the warning on the label.

GSK’s attorney said the labeling was appropriate and that its wording was mandated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

Source: Reuters

Posted by Ray Simon

Ray Simon is a veteran copywriter with more than a decade's worth of experience in the field. He studied journalism at Vanderbilt University, graduating Cum Laude in 2007. Ray currently specializes in writing content and news articles for independent publications.

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