An Ohio man has sued The Upjohn Co., contending he suffered brain damage and other injuries from using Halcion, the top-selling prescription sleeping aid in the country.
Charles F. Sanders Jr., 61, of Akron filed suit in Kalamazoo County County Circuit Court last week, maintaining Upjohn "wantonly and recklessly sold (an) inherently dangerous drug" and failed to give adequate warnings of potential side effects. He is seeking unspecified damages of more than $10,000.Upjohn spokeswoman Nancy Lassen said the company had not been served with a copy of the lawsuit and could not comment.
However, she said Halcion's packaging clearly states potential side effects, including hallucinations and memory loss. She said the drug has been shown to be safe and effective for the vast majority of users and is no more dangerous than other similar drugs on the market.
Two other lawsuits against Upjohn involving Halcion are pending in federal courts.
A New Jersey psychiatrist sued after being acquitted in August of attempted murder by reason of insanity for stabbing his estranged wife while on the sleeping medicine. The trial judge said the man suffered a chemical reaction to Halcion that made him unable to reason.
A Utah woman who claims she killed her mother in a "homicidal compulsion" induced by Halcion is seeking $21 million from the company. That case is scheduled to go to trial in Salt Lake City in September.
Upjohn began marketing Halcion in the United States in 1983. Ten million prescriptions are written annually, generating sales estimated at between $200 million and $300 million.