A lawsuit has been filed against the popular antidepressant manufacturer Pfizer claiming that use of the drug Zoloft during pregnancy led to serious birth defects in a woman’s unborn child. The woman who filed the lawsuit claims that her child will suffer from severe Zoloft side effects for the rest of his life.
This is just one of many lawsuits leveled against the pharmaceutical giant. As of April 2013 there have been dozens of other lawsuits filed by an SSRI birth defects lawyer on behalf of injured patients. The cases have been filed under multidistrict litigation, which standardizes pre-trial proceedings to avoid duplicate discovery and conflicting rulings
Zoloft has been linked to some serious birth defects including heart malformations, limb abnormalities, and gastrointestinal issues. Some of the children born with these defects require immediate surgery after birth. Some children have even died as a result of these birth defects. As of April 2013, there have been over 250 parents who have file lawsuits against Pfizer claiming that the company did not give adequate warning about the risk of using the drug during pregnancy.
In the most recent Zoloft lawsuit, the mother of the plaintiff alleges that she took the drug throughout her entire pregnancy, according to her physician’s prescription. After her son was born, he was diagnosed with a congenital heart disorder, a heart murmur, and congestive heart failure among a host of other health issues with the circulatory system.
The plaintiff also claims that the defects have also taken an emotional and physical toll on the mother’s body. The plaintiff is seeking punitive damages and treble compensation from the pharmaceutical powerhouse.
Legal experts expect that Pfizer will argue that it is a physician’s duty to warn patients about the dangers of using an antidepressant throughout a pregnancy.