Undesired side effects much? A man employed with the French defense ministry is suing British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline, claiming that taking its Parkinson's drug Requip turned him into a "gay sex and gambling addict," reports AFP.
The 51-year-old man's lawyers say their client's behaviour changed radically after he was first administered the drug in 2003 for the illness, which causes tremors, slows movement and disrupts speech.
Didier Jambart, a married father-of-two who says he has attempted suicide three times, claims he became addicted to Internet gambling, losing the family's savings and stealing to feed his habit. He also became a compulsive gay sex addict and began exposing himself on the Internet and cross-dressing. His risky sexual encounters led to him being raped, his lawyers said.
The behaviour stopped when he stopped taking the drugs in 2005 but by then he had been demoted in his defence ministry job and was suffering from psychological trauma resulting from his addictions, his lawyers said.
The trial begins tomorrow. Jambart is seeking €450,000 or $610,000 in damages from Glaxo.
