Murder-Suicide Attempt Zoloft 26/06/2009 Nebraska 17 Year Old Convicted Killer Sues Pfizer: Claims Zoloft Caused Him to Kill in 2002 Summary:

First three paragraphs read:  "A convicted murderer who strangled the teenage mother of his child has sued Pfizer, alleging the Zoloft he was taking led him to try to commit suicide and then take his girlfriend’s life."

"Randall Robbins II wants $1 million from the maker of the antidepressant and the Lincoln doctor who prescribed it to him for every year he spends in prison."

"He was 17 when he killed Brittany Eurek in 2002."


http://journalstar.com/news/local/doc4a43fd2256f5a547794726.txt

Convicted killer sues Pfizer for millions

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By LORI PILGER / Lincoln Journal Star

Friday, Jun 26, 2009 - 01:15:05 pm CDT

A convicted murderer who strangled the teenage mother of his child has sued Pfizer, alleging the Zoloft he was taking led him to try to commit suicide and then take his girlfriend’s life.

Randall Robbins II wants $1 million from the maker of the antidepressant and the Lincoln doctor who prescribed it to him for every year he spends in prison.

He was 17 when he killed Brittany Eurek in 2002.

But, if the now 25-year-old wants to pursue the suit, he’ll need to find an attorney to take it on or do it himself.

Lancaster County District Judge Jeffre Cheuvront rejected a request from Robbins to appoint an attorney to represent him and to let him file the case without paying the fees and costs.

If Robbins doesn’t come up with $79 or appeal the ruling within 30 days, the case will be dismissed.

In the suit filed Tuesday, he said Pfizer failed to warn him of side effects of Zoloft.

“Pfizer knew or should have known the effects, including that R.R. might commit or attempt suicide and murder...,” he said.

Robbins said the drug intensified his agitation, suicidal desires and irritability and decreased his ability to control impulses.

He seeks $2 million each from Pfizer and his doctor for emotional distress and physical pain suffered. He also wants $1 million from each of them for each year he’s spent incarcerated and away from his family.

Robbins argues that Pfizer and his Lincoln doctor both were negligent.

At 10:49 on the night of June 1, 2002, Robbins’ mother called 911, saying her son had summoned her. When she got home, she said, she found Brittany Eurek in Randall Robbins’ bedroom, not breathing and with red marks on her neck.

Police arrived at the Euclid Avenue duplex he and his mother and sister shared to find Robbins crying with a cloth over his head, saying, “arrest me, arrest me.”

They found Eurek on his bedroom floor. She was pronounced dead at the hospital, despite attempts to revive her.

In court records, Robbins said his doctor prescribed Zoloft for depression earlier in the year. He said his symptoms worsened and he attempted suicide by hanging himself with a belt. Then, on June 1, he held Eurek’s neck until she passed out and used the same belt to assure she was dead, the records say.

The Food and Drug Administration now advises parents that such antidepressants as Zoloft can increase suicidal thoughts and actions in some children and teens, according to its Web site.

But, the FDA says, suicidal thoughts and actions also can be caused by the depression such drugs are used to treat.

It says nothing about the drugs causing an increase in homicidal thoughts.

When asked to comment, Chris Loder in media relations at Pfizer Inc. defended Zoloft in an e-mail Friday, calling it a safe and effective medication that has been used to treat millions with depression and anxiety disorders.

And, he said, the label fully complies with all FDA-mandated requirements, including information on adverse events.

“We continuously monitor the postmarketing safety of our medicines and evaluate all available data to ascertain any signal of increased risk. Pfizer’s evaluation of Zoloft data never has revealed any signal of an increased risk of violence related to either use or discontinuation of use of Zoloft.”

Robbins is serving a 40- to 60-year sentence at the Nebraska State Penitentiary after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.

He will be eligible for parole in 2022.

Reach Lori Pilger at 473-7237 or lpilger@journalstar.com.