Chantix has been called the most dangerous drug on the market today, and suicide statistics reported to the US Food and Drug Administration support that characterization of its dangers. Chantix is a stop-smoking aid designed to help people break away from cigarettes for their health, but the potential for serious side effects has made many people doubt whether this drug should remain on the market. Now a new study shows that suicide risk is much higher for Chantix than other stop-smoking aids.
The new study looked at instances of suicide, self-harm, and depression reported to the FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) associated with Chantix, bupropion (Wellbutrin), and nicotine replacement products. About 90% of the events they identified were associated with Chantix, compared to 7% for bupropion, and 3% for nicotine replacement. Calculating odds ratios showed that people taking Chantix were 8.4 times more likely to suffer suicide, self-harm, or depression than people using nicotine replacement.
This new finding adds to previous reports that there have been nearly 300 Chantix-related suicides since the drug’s introduction, and hundreds of other reports of violence against others. An increased risk of suicide and other violent acts contributes to the overall danger of Chantix, whose dangers include cardiac death.
Chantix has been called one of the most dangerous drugs on the market, and several regulators are rethinking their decision to approve the drug, especially after learning that Pfizer “inadvertently” concealed reports of serious side effects, including suicide. If you have suffered the loss of a loved one, a wrongful death lawsuit can help call attention to your loss and to punish drug companies that put people in danger.
To learn whether you can receive compensation for your losses, please contact the Columbus personal injury lawyers of Robert W. Kerpsack, CO, LPA today
