Health Highlights: Nov. 1, 2006

Wednesday, November 1, 2006; 12:00 AM

Copyright © 2006 ScoutNews LLC. All rights reserved.

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Drug Company Agrees to Settlement in Paxil Lawsuit

Drug maker GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to pay $63.8 million to settle a class-action lawsuit over its antidepressant drug Paxil, the Associated Press reported.

The lawsuit alleged that the company promoted Paxil for use in children and adolescents but withheld negative information about the drug's safety and effectiveness. The lawsuit also claimed that consumers paid too much for Paxil.

As part of the settlement, GlaxoSmithKline denies all of the lawsuit's claims.

People who bought Paxil or Paxil CR (a controlled-release version of the drug) for their children could get full refunds if they have records of their purchases. People without any purchase records could get $15, the AP reported.

The settlement with GlaxoSmithKline, the world's second-largest pharmaceutical company, was approved Oct. 6 by Madison County, Ill., Associate Judge Ralph Mendelsohn and unsealed by him on Oct. 27. He'll hold a hearing March 9 on whether the settlement is fair.

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Music Therapy May Ease Schizophrenia Symptoms

Music therapy may help improve some symptoms of schizophrenia, according to preliminary findings of a British study that's the first to evaluate how this treatment affects people with acute schizophrenia.

The Imperial College London study included 81 psychiatric in-patients who received either music therapy or standard care. The patients in the music-therapy group had between eight and 12 sessions, once a week, for up to 45 minutes.

During these sessions, the patients were given access to different kinds of musical instruments and encouraged to use the instruments to express themselves. Therapists worked with and observed the patients while they made music.

Compared to patients who received standard care, those in the music-therapy group showed greater reductions in schizophrenia symptoms such as depression, anxiety and emotional withdrawal, the study found.