Prescribing Trends Shift from Paroxetine 2001

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The marginal trend reversal of Paroxetine Total Prescriptions in 2001 correlates with: -

1 USA – August 2001, Paxil (Paroxetine / Seroxat) GSK class action Lawsuit filed in California Superior Court, LA County, USA.
http://www.onlinelawyersource.com/paxil/class-action.html

2 UK - The Guardian, December 10, 2001 article “Anti-depressant 'addicts' threaten legal Case”, publicises that solicitors Graham Ross of Ross & Co, Wirral, and Mark Harvey of Hugh James Ford Simey, Cardiff (Now Hugh James) who had liaised with American lawyers about Paxil are investigating the possibility of a UK Seroxat class action.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2001/dec/10/medicalscience.highereducation

The increase in the marginal trend reversal of Paroxetine Total Prescriptions in 2002 correlates with: -

3 UK – The Observer February 3, 2002 article “Hard habit to break”, Mark Harvey, of Hugh James Solicitors, Cardiff; instigates further publicity of the adverse drug reactions (ADRs), side effects and withdrawal problems, connected with the Seroxat --- but common to all drugs in the SSRI / SNRI class.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4348653,00.html.

4 UK - The Observer, Sunday April 28 2002 “The chemistry of happiness“
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2002/apr/28/features.magazine37

5 UK - The November 11th 2002 Parmjit Dhanda Early Day Motion, EDM 238 Seroxat, brought the drug and the SSRI issue to Parliament,
http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDetails.aspx?EDMID=24050&SESSION=681

The acceleration of the marginal trend reversal of Paroxetine Total Prescriptions in 2003 correlates to: -

6 UK - The ensuing parliamentary questions, media coverage and MIND Seroxat Protest, May 12th 2003 at the MHRA London offices, which made national television news coverage
http://www.mind.org.uk/News+policy+and+campaigns/Press+archive/PRPanoramaSeroxat.htm

The Proxetine prescribing trend continues to decline, all be it at a slower rate.

Significantly, the parliamentary interest and media coverage given to Seroxat and the continuing down trend in Paroxetine prescriptions has had NO impact on the overall marginal trend increases in prescription numbers for the drug class, although ALL are affected by the same ADRs, side effects and withdrawal problems.


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Data collection reference:
Department of Health; NHS; Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) - England.
1998 to 2007:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/PublicationsAndStatistics/Statistics/StatisticalWorkAreas/StatisticalHealthCare/DH_4086488
2008:
http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/PCA%202008/PCA%202008.pdf
12-P-01p Tuesday