Top anti-depressant linked to increased suicide risk
(AFP)
Updated: 2005-08-22 17:40

LONDON (AFP) - One of Britain's most widely prescribed anti-depressant drugs -- Seroxat manufactured by British pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline -- has been linked to a seven-fold increase in suicide attempts, a newspaper reported.

The Times said that an analysis carried out by Oslo University on Seroxat involving more than 1,500 patients found seven suicide attempts among those taking the drug and only one among those taking a placebo.

It said suicidal thoughts were three times more common among those taking Seroxat (paroxetine).

Almost 2.4 million prescriptions for the drug were issued in England last year, the Times said.

The study, published in the British medical magazine BMC Medicine and picked up by the Times on its front page, was carried out before Seroxat was first licenced in 1990.

The Times said that several organisations, including the mental health charity Mind, have called for the drug to be withdrawn.

It said that the company and the British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have defended the drug, saying its benefits outweigh the risks.

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