A French man who claims a faulty Parkinson’s Disease drug turned him into a gay sex addict is demanding £390,000 in compensation.
Didier Jambart, 52, from Nantes, is suing ReQuip manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline for his psychological trauma.
A court verdict is expected today.
Mr Jambart, a married father, claims the drug changed his personality and led him to becoming addicted to gay sex.
His lawyers say he began cross-dressing, exposing himself on the internet and indulging in risky behavior which led to him being raped.
He said he had attempted suicide eight times after beginning a course of ReQuip in 2003.
By 2005, he had stopped taking it and says his behaviour has returned to normal, although he suffered psychological trauma and was demoted at work.
According to the Daily Mail, Mr Jambart said: “I have to take this matter to court – it may be a David and Goliath struggle but after all I’ve been through I want to get my dignity back.”
GlaxoSmithKline’s lawyers say there is no evidence the company produced a “defective” drug but said there was the chance of an “extremely rare reaction”.
Requip and other Parkinson’s drugs have been linked to obsessive and addictive behaviours before.
Last November, Pete Shepherd, a former councillor from Hull, said he had become a gambling, sex-addicted cross dresser after taking Cabergoline for symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
He spent £400,000 on a luxury lifestyle and received a conditional discharge for a £45,000 eBay fraud in 2009 after a judge ruled that the drug had affected his ability to tell right from wrong.
Mr Shepherd stopped taking Cabergoline in 2008 and says his behaviour has returned to normal.
