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Sep 1, 2009 4:04 pm US/Central
Family Of Dallas Musician Sues Maker Of Chantix
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Nearly two years after the death of their son, the parents of
Dallas musician Carter Albrecht have filed a federal lawsuit against Pfizer. Pfizer is the maker of Varenicline, better known as the controversial anti-smoking drug Chantix.
Albrecht died in September 2007, just hours after taking Chantix. He allegedly was hallucinating when he tried to break into a neighbor's house and was shot and killed.
The family's lawsuit claims Pfizer did not disclose the risks of the drug and the label didn't contain adequate warning of the drug's possible side effects at the time Albrecht began taking it.
Click here to read the lawsuit in its entirety.
Late Tuesday, Pfizer spokesperson Raymond F. Kerins Jr. responded to CBS 11 requests for comments on the lawsuit with a statement that said, "
We have not seen the complaint so it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time. However, Pfizer stands behind the safety and efficacy profile of Chantix."
Following a series of CBS 11 News investigative reports and agreements with the Food and Drug Administration, Pfizer updated the label on Chantix to include warnings about depressed mood, hostility, and suicidal thoughts, among other possible side effects.
In February of 2008 the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory for Chantix. The organization stated in a press release that "it appears increasingly likely that there may be an association between Chantix and
serious neuropsychiatric symptoms."
In September of 2007, CBS 11 accessed the FDA's database of adverse side effects and found thousands of similar and very serious reactions to Chantix. Pfizer tested Chantix on fewer than 5,000 people, which is considered normal and put the drug on the market in August 2006.
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