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A class action lawsuit filed against Paxil manufacturer Glaxo SmithKline charges the drug company with fraud, negligence, strict liability, and breach of warranty and claims Glaxo SmithKline should be held liable for Paxil-induced suicides in youths across the nation.

Teenager Tonya Brooks who attempted suicide while taking Paxil along with the mother of an 11-year-old boy who killed himself as a result of adverse Paxil side effects jointly filed the wrongful death lawsuit alleging Glaxo SmithKline knew of the dangers of the drug, but failed to warn the public.

“No parent should have to go through what we did,” Brook''s mother, Cheryl Brooks, said of her horror when she found her daughter on the bathroom floor after her suicide attempt. “The manufacturers of these drugs should be paying for this. They gave these medicines to these kids—that''s murder…”

The class action suit represents anyone under the age of 18 in the United States who attempted suicide due to Paxil, or the family members of those who killed themselves as a result of Paxil use.

The lawsuit claims the result of the studies revealing the significant risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children/adolescent Paxil use were fraudulently mischaracterized and miscoded putting millions of patients at risk for dangerous Paxil side effects.

Additionally, the lawsuit alleges Glaxo SmithKline fraudulently marketed the antidepressant when they wrote in a document directed to all their sales representatives that “Paxil demonstrates REMARKABLE Efficacy and Safety in the treatment of adolescent depression.”

“Through our Paxil litigation, we''ve obtained documents that show a seriously troubling mentality of profit over safety and a callous disregard for the welfare of children,” said plaintiff attorney Karen Barth Menzies. “That''s about as reprehensible as you can get.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration as well as other government regulators have evaluated data from a number of clinical trials and found a significantly increased risk of suicidality with Paxil use. In January 2005, the FDA required all antidepressant drugs including Paxil to carry a “black box” warning on the labels alerting consumers of the suicide dangers.

However, Menzies said the drug companies and their hired medical professionals downplay the new warning label as an “over reaction” by the FDA. “They continue to try to hide this risk from parents for the sake of profits. We wanted to make sure the rights of all of these kids are protected by filing this lawsuit.”

Paxil belongs to a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and was approved in the U.S. for the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder. It has not been approved for pediatric use.