Causality and collateral estoppel: process and content of recent SSRI litigation.
In Tobin v. SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals a jury in the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming found that the medication Paxil "can cause some individuals to commit homicide and/or suicide," and that it was a legal cause of the deaths in this case. A motion was recently put before the United States District Court for the District of Utah to adopt the findings of the Tobin case--via the application of collateral estoppel--to a case involving an individual's suicide while prescribed Paxil. This article summarizes these two cases, as reflected in court documents, and comments on limitations of common causality assertions.
Forensic Acute Unit, Utah State Hospital, Provo, UT, USA. pwhitehe@utah.gov
Paul D
PD
Whitehead
D015984:Causality; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D016365:Liability, Legal; D008297:Male; D017374:Paroxetine / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013405:Suicide / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology; D014959:Wyoming
D017374:Paroxetine; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors