In a sharp turnabout from the usual behavior of Big Pharma companies, GlaxoSmithKline is participating with the FDA to disseminate the data that their version of the Prozac prototype, Paxil, may raise the risk of suicidal behavior in young adults. This is commendable, at least on the surface, because Big Pharma has been stiff-arming any attempt to get them to admit their putting out drugs that kill rather than cure.

It smells a lot like the period when the tobacco companies realized they were going to go down. They began to promote themselves as concerned about young people taking up smoking and so forth.

I don't think this is going to start a stampede this week amongst Big Pharma robber barons to step up to the responsibility of admitting their crimes, but sooner or later there will be just such a rush to appear to be concerned and responsible. It will happen when they realize that the public has discovered that the emperor has no clothers and that they are navigating the fine line between mere fiscal responsibility on one hand, and criminal responsibility on the other.