Fun little story from Reuters reporting that U.S. health officials have ordered Pfizer Inc and GlaxoSmithKline PLC to add strong "black box" warnings on their anti-smoking drugs to highlight the risk of serious mental health problems, including suicidal thoughts.
The warnings, which must be added to Pfizer's Chantix and Glaxo's Zyban, follow more than 5,000 reports of depression, hostility, and other behavioral changes, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said. Over 100 suicides were included in the 5,000 reports.
FDA officials feel that the medications still are needed, noting the dangers of smoking, such as lung cancer and heart disease and, of course, premature death.
"We don't want to scare people off from trying to use the medication to stop smoking," said Dr. Curt Rosebraugh, who oversees the FDA office that reviews smoking-cessation drugs. "We just want them carefully monitored."
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