DID 140 PEOPLE DIE BECAUSE THEY TOOK PROZAC?

WONDER drug Prozac, taken by millions as an anti-depressant, has been
linked to 140 deaths in Britain according to research obtained by the
Sunday Express.

There have also been 12,000 possible "adverse reactions." They include 45
suicides, seven unexplained sudden deaths and 44 fatalities from heart
failure.

The figures have been recorded by the Government's Medicines Control
Agency. In each case the problem was noted because doctors believed there
might possibly be a link with the use of Prozac.

The drug is now taken by 500,000 in Britain and 15million worldwide. Famous
users have included the late Princess of Wales, pop star Michael Hutchence,
and Hollywood actor Al Pacino.

There has been increasing concern about side-effects since it was licensed
here 10 years ago.

The MCA data will reopen the debate about whether it is dangerous. Its
manufacturer Eli Lilly argues there is no credible evidence to prove it
damages health. Scientific opinion is divided.

Since 1988 doctors have been asked - as with other drugs - to report
illnesses they thought might have been caused by Prozac. It is a called the
Yellow Card reporting scheme and is voluntary.

Over the years, the MCA has built up a bank of knowledge on possible
side-effects such as heart failure, weight loss, blindness, deafness,
nightmares and leukaemia Although the MCA say such information is not
confidential, it has never been widely disseminated and many experts have
never had access to it. Its shows that more than 100 patients reported
feeling suicidal while on Prozac. Another 57 apparently attempted
unsuccessfully to take their lives.

The Sunday Express has learnt this has long been an issue that concerns Eli
Lilly. In 1985, one of its German consultants wrote a paper reviewing
evidence that patients on Prozac were five times more likely to attempt
suicide than those taking a rival anti-depressant drug. The Lilly archives,
released in a recent American court case, also contained a 1990 letter from
a doctor concerned that the drug was claimed to have triggered suicidal
preoccupations in a "disturbing" number of cases.

The doctor pointed out that these cases seemed particularly worrying
because some of the suicidal patients were being treated for illnesses
other than depression.

The company says there is no evidence that Prozac causes suicide or
violence. It blames the numbers of suicide attempts on the fact that it is
a drug used for depression, a condition which in itself is likely to make
someone suicidal.

Experts point out, however, that the MCA figures may be only the tip of the
iceberg because only a fraction of adverse reactions are reported by
doctors who are often too busy to fill in the yellow cards.

Steve Baldwin, Professor of Psychology at the University of Teesside, said:
"Many drug-related deaths never get reported. If so many deaths have been
linked to Prozac, the real figure could be far higher." There is mounting
anecdotal evidence about Prozac. In one case a man murdered his wife then
killed himself only 10 days after starting on Prozac.

His family believe the outburst was triggered by the drug. They are suing
Eli Lilly in what could become the first case of its kind in the British
courts.

Reginald Payne threw himself from a cliff near his home in Wadebridge,
Cornwall, after suffocating his wife, Sally, 66, in 1996.

His son, David, 39, said: "My father was never violent towards my mother.
When he went on Prozac his behaviour changed so drastically that we believe
it tipped him over the edge."

His solicitor Graham Ross said: "The company claim that no causal
relationship has been established. We dispute this. The fact that Mr Payne
murdered his wife is part and parcel of the same irrational behaviour
triggered by Prozac. " Violent feelings are also common side-effects
reported in the MCA data which notes 170 cases of aggression. There are
also reports of agitation, anxiety, delusion and hallucinations.

Eli Lilly claims it is generally accepted that Prozac has a "milder
side-effect profile" and is "relatively safe" in overdose compared with
older anti-depressants.

Prozac is now being prescribed for young children and the MCA record a case
of cot death possibly linked to the drug.

Yesterday it was reported that 10-year-old Somerset girl, Amie Perrett, had
been prescribed the drug after being driven to the brink of suicide by
bullies. Her mother says the drug is simply masking her problems. Janice
Hill, of Edinburgh support group Overload, said: "Given the evidence about
what may be happening to adults on this drug, it is hardly surprising that
parents are afraid of the outcome of Prozac on children."