Chantix Attempted Suicide Suit Joins MDL

A new lawsuit involving a Chantix-related suicide attempt has recently been added to the multidistrict litigation case dealing with the smoking cessation drug which has been established in the United States’ District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. Jack Ellis Jr. filed his lawsuit along with his spouse on the 4^th of May, 2012, seeking compensation for Chantix injuries that he suffered after taking the medication. According to his lawsuit, Ellis attempted suicide as a result of his use of the drug and was subsequently hospitalized.

Chantix side effects psychological and serious

The plaintiff claims that he began taking the medication in 2009, completely unaware of the potential side effects resulting from Chantix use that he might experience. The drug, which was approved in 2006 by the Food and Drug Administration, has been linked to hundreds of cases of potentially life-threatening side effects, including depression, suicide ideation and suicide attempts, and aggressive behavior.

The FDA implemented a black box warning on the smoking cessation drug in July of 2009. This warning came too late for Ellis, who began taking the medication in April of that year, and many other patients who were already using the medication. As a result of his Chantix use, Ellis attempted suicide and was hospitalized as a result. Hundreds of plaintiffs like Ellis have seen their cases centralized in the ongoing multidistrict litigation case taking place in Alabama. Bellwether trials in the consolidated litigation were recently scheduled to begin in October of 2012.

Chantix side effects still somewhat a mystery

It is not clear, exactly, what causes such serious Chantix side effects. The medication is highly effective in that it binds nicotine receptors in the brain, which minimizes cravings for nicotine. It has helped hundreds of people quit smoking, but the process by which it works has been linked to a number of serious side effects that patients have experienced, and experts are not entirely sure why this is. Thousands of plaintiffs have already been added to litigation.

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