Paxil Lawyers

Paxil - A Question of Disclosure Examined

News of Paxil's problems has been making the rounds in a big way lately, and the central subjects of these stories has centered on two issues - Paxil's alleged link to serious side effects and the more serious allegations that the manufacturer of Paxil, GlaxoSmithKline, knew that the drug was addictive and did not report it to the public. While the analysis below should not be construed as any type of "inside" information regarding Paxil or GSK, it is a generalized analysis of how an issue regarding a problematic product develops within a corporation.

When a Problem Should Be Reported

Although this is not quantitative, scientific analysis, when a product such as a drug begins to cause problems with those who use it, reporting these potential problems should happen as soon as possible. Considering the number of people who were using Paxil, reports of just one or two people experiencing side effects could be seen as an unfortunate anomaly.

However, when that number climbs into the dozens or hundreds, it's probably time to let the public know that there could be an issue with the product. Drug companies are supposed to have systems in place that track user issues, although a recent raid of a different drug company showed that this tracking system was seriously lacking in dependability. Regardless, the earlier a problem is reported, the safer the general public will be overall.

When a Problem is Generally Reported

As cold and harsh as this may sound, the decision to report a problem with any product, prescription drug or otherwise, comes down to basic numbers and economic equations. We need to remember that when dealing with product recalls, we're generally talking about huge corporations with shareholders to appease. Not to mention, companies like GSK are multi-billion-dollar enterprises.

Generally, when a problem arises, a company will work through a cost analysis. Specifically, experts will analyze whether it would cost the company more money to recall a product as opposed to simply paying out settlements to those who are injured by a product that they may know is dangerous. For instance, if recalling a product will cost a company $1 billion, but the highest amount of settlements/damages it will have to pay totals less than that hypothetically, most companies will simply keep that product in circulation and take the risk.

While this is in no way any offer of proof that this is what happened with GSK and Paxil, it has been established in courts over time that companies do proceed along these lines. Business is business, and companies are defined by numbers - it's as simple as that. If you have been harmed as a result of using Paxil, contact a Paxil attorney at Williams Kherkher immediately to schedule a free initial consultation.