Anti-Smoking Drug Linked to 10 British Suicides

It seems that these stories are coming by far too often. Drugs which are supposed to treat depression and anxiety are causing people to become depressed and kill themselves.

I'll have more on this later. For now, here's the original story from the London Daily Mail:

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By JO MACFARLANE
Last updated at 9:59 PM on 08th November 2008

Health chiefs have revealed that ten people have committed suicide after taking a controversial anti-smoking drug linked to depression.

The disclosure by the Government’s drugs watchdog is the first time officials have revealed the link between Champix and suicide in this country. Earlier this year, US authorities announced they were investigating 37 similar cases there.


Omer Jama with his nieces. It is thought he committed suicide as a result of taking the stop-smoking drug Champix.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) website says a total of 24 people taking the nicotine-replacement have died, of whom ten took their own lives.

A further 213 claimed they had experienced suicidal thoughts and 407 said they were suffering depression.

There is no evidence that Champix has been a factor in any of the deaths. However, some experts are concerned that the drug, used by almost half a million people in Britain, may cause depressive thoughts and mood swings.

Last April an inquest heard how TV producer Omer Jama, 39, slashed his wrists eight weeks after starting a course of pills. A toxicologist told the hearing: ‘There is a possibility he could have been influenced by the side-effects of the drug.’

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