Drug Injury Lawyers Blog
Plaintiffs recently filed at least 13 Zoloft injury lawsuits against Pfizer Inc. The women claim that their babies were born with birth defects caused from taking Zoloft. They say that doctors prescribed the antidepressant, which they took while they were pregnant.
The plaintiffs believe that the drug maker either knew that Zoloft cause the birth defects or if not then they should have been aware that it did. They contend that the drug maker should have notified them about the serious risks to their children.
The women are claiming that Zoloft is defective, dangerous, doesn’t come with the proper warnings, and should not be sold or marketed. They want compensatory and punitive damages for past, ongoing, and future pain and suffering, injuries sustained, and losses.
Zoloft
Zoloft is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and is taken as an anti-depressant. The side effects to infants born to mothers who took Zoloft can be devastating, even fatal.
Birth defect that have been linked to Zoloft include:
• Various kinds of heart valve defects • Hole in the heart • Spina bifida • Cranofacial defects • Neural tube defects
• Craniosynostosis-a skull defect • Club foot
• Omphalocele-causes the abdominal organs and intestines to stick out through the belly button • Anencephaly-a child is born with a brain or skill that has parts missing. This birth defect is potentially fatal.
• Anal atresia-a bowel defect in which the anus is missing or in the wrong area of the body.
• Limb reduction-part of the limbs did not fully develop or are deformed or missing.
Such serious birth defects can prove challenging to remedy, even impossible. Multiple medical procedures over subsequent years may be involved, which can be very costly. There is also the emotional toll to the parents and child from having to cope with a Zoloft birth defect. Sometimes, at-home care and other expensive resources are warranted. A birth defect may seriously impair the ability of the child and his/her family to live a normal life.
SSRI Antidepressants
Zoloft isn’t the only antidepressant linked to serious birth defects during pregnancy. Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, and Lexapro are a few others.
It is important that women are apprised of the possible risks when the drug is prescribed to them. The drug maker’s responsibility is to make sure the medical community and the public are informed. Medications must have labels that also warn of the potential dangers. Inadequate warnings on drug labeling can be reason for a Massachusetts products liability case if serious injuries or deaths occur. You also may be able to file a Boston SSRI drug defect and even a Massachusetts medical malpractice lawsuit against the doctor that prescribed the drug, especially if the physician did not fully apprise you of the risks.
Obtaining financial recovery won’t undo what happened, but it can provide support by paying for some if not all of your medical bills and other related costs. Filing a dangerous drug lawsuit is also a way to hold the manufacturer liable for the harm that you and your family have suffered.
Thirteen more lawsuits filed against Pfizer for Zoloft, The West Virginia Record, July 25, 2014
More Blog Posts:
New Studies Reveal Serious Side Effects of Cholesterol Drug, Drug Injury Lawyers Blog, July 24, 2014
Jury Issues $3M Topamax Injury Verdict Against Johnson & Johnson Unit, Drug Injury Lawyers Blog, April 2, 2014
Parents File Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Massachusetts-Based Care.com and Babysitter, Boston Injury Lawyer Blog, August 9, 2014
