ZOLOFT: MULTIPLE LAWSUITS FILED FOR MULTIPLE BIRTH DEFECTS
I do not believe it is clear to many people how serious these SSRI birth defect cases really are. This is to give you an idea of just how serious the birth defect cases are going against these drug companies…
Child was born with multiple birth defects…The complainant states that she took Zoloft throughout her pregnancy after it was prescribed by her treating physicians. She gave birth to a child with numerous congenital birth defects. The baby has been diagnosed with spina bifida, scoliosis, vater syndrome, tracheoesophageal fistula, and mitral valve regurgitation.
CASE #1
New Jersey Woman Files Zoloft Birth Defects Lawsuit
Perry Larkin | November 6th, 2012 | Posted in Zoloft Lawsuits
A New Jersey woman filed a new Zoloft litigation on October 17, 2012 seeking damages against manufacturer Pfizer, Inc. According to the filing the woman took the antidepressant Zoloft during her pregnancy and it caused multiple birth defects in her newborn son.
The case was filed in the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York (Foley Square). She makes complaints of product liability, defective design, failure to warn, negligence and misrepresentation and seeks punitive and actual damages.
Zoloft accused of showing “willful disregard” to informing the public of risks
According to studies, Zoloft has long been linked to birth defects in newborns. In spite of FDA regulations that the new medical evidence requires Pfizer to update the warning label, the company has yet to do so.
The plaintiff’s attorney states that the company showed a willful disregard to informing the medical community and public of the risk of congenital birth defects due to Zoloft and this caused permanent harm to his client’s son. The label still fails to warn of the dangers and risks of congenital birth defects of Zoloft if it’s taken during pregnancy.
The plaintiff claims that her baby suffered from the following side effects of Zoloft: spina bifida, vater syndrome, clubfoot and other related defects.
Pfizer alleged to have known of side effects as early as 2007
The lawsuit alleges that Pfizer carelessly marketed the product and failed to provide sufficient warning as to the possible side effects to pregnant women. This case joins other designated cases for the pilot program of the district court, which aims to address complex civil cases.
The complaint says that in 2007, Pfizer knew that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like Zoloft doubled the risk of septal heart defects in babies who were born to mothers who took the medication. In studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine, it indicates that a four-fold increase in heart defects was connected to pregnant women using Zoloft during their first trimester. Other studies showed that using the medication while pregnant is also linked to a higher occurrence of heart malformation.
Child was born with multiple birth defects
The complainant states that she took Zoloft throughout her pregnancy after it was prescribed by her treating physicians. She gave birth to a child with numerous congenital birth defects. The baby has been diagnosed with spina bifida, scoliosis, vater syndrome, tracheoesophageal fistula, and mitral valve regurgitation.
The plaintiff seeks compensation for medical costs, as well as punitive and special damages.
injurylawyer-news.com/2012/11/new-jersey-woman-files-zoloft-birth-defects-lawsuit/
CASE #2
Zoloft Caused Daughter’s Birth Defects, Tennessee Parents Claim in Lawsuit
Tracy Ray | October 24th, 2012 | Posted in Zoloft Lawsuits
In a lawsuit against Pfizer that was recently added to the Zoloft MDL, parents Michael and Shana Reid of Tennessee charge that their daughter was born with birth defects resulting from Zoloft. The Reids originally filed their lawsuit on June 8, 2012, in the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia County, and the case was transferred to the Zoloft MDL in the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, on August 16, 2012.
Baby needed surgery for life-threatening defects
According to the Reid’s lawsuit, Shana Reid was prescribed Zoloft by her physician during her pregnancy. She read the drug’s warning label, but did not see anything about birth defects, so she trusted that the antidepressant was safe to use while pregnant. Had she been warned about the risk of birth defects resulting from Zoloft, she would not have taken it during her pregnancy, she states in the lawsuit.
The Reid’s baby was born on October 14, 2004 with life-threatening congenital birth defects, the lawsuit states. As a result, the child has undergone corrective surgery and is likely to require further surgeries in future.
Plaintiffs accuse Pfizer of failure to warn mothers of Zoloft’s risks
The Reid’s lawsuit alleges that Pfizer was aware of the risk of side effects after taking Zoloft, but failed to adequately warn the public or the medical community. Their lawsuit charges that Pfizer’s marketing and advertising for Zoloft misled pregnant women and their doctors by giving inaccurate or misleading information about the danger Zoloft poses to a fetus when the drug is taken during pregnancy.
The lawsuit bring counts of failure to warn, design defect, fraud, negligence, gross negligence, negligent design, and breach of warranties. The plaintiffs are seeking compensation in excess of $75,000 in damages.
FDA issued warning about Zoloft birth defects
The FDA issued a warning in July 2006 stating that studies had shown that babies born to mothers who took Zoloft or other SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy were six times more likely to be born with PPHN than babies born to mothers who did not take antidepressants.
The following year, a 2007 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that women who took Zoloft during the first trimester had double the risk of giving birth to an infant with heart defects, compared to those who did not take antidepressants.
CASE #3
A Lawsuit Alleging Birth Defects From Zoloft is Filed in Pennsylvania
Perry Larkin | October 15th, 2012 | Posted in Zoloft Lawsuits
On September 10, 2012, a new lawsuit alleging birth defects from the use of Zoloft while pregnant was filed on behalf of ten plaintiffs by Zoloft attorneys. The case, Lentz et. Al. v. Pfizer Inc., was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and alleges that the antidepressant Zoloft (sertraline) is responsible for the birth defects in their children.
This lawsuit joins the increasing number of plaintiffs who are seeking compensation for the alleged problems as a result of the medication.
Pfizer is accused of knowing of the risk of birth defects and failing to alert the public
The lawsuit alleges that Pfizer knew of the possibility of birth defects from preclinical and published studies and took no action to properly study the drug and its aftereffects. In addition, they chose not to publish these studies due to the revelation of increased risks with the drug. The manufacturer is accused of concealing, suppressing the results, and failing to warn consumers of the potential dangers. Pfizer continues to deny these accusations.
Many side effects from Zoloft can affect the heart, the gastrointestinal system, and cranial malformations
The children were born between 1998 and 2011. A correlation was demonstrated in studies between 2007 and 2009 that indicated the increased risk of birth defects when women take Zoloft while pregnant, but the plaintiffs were unaware of these studies. The plaintiffs claim that if they’d known of the risks, they never would have taken the drug.
Some of the side effects resulting from Zoloft use described in the lawsuit include gastrointestinal problems such as anteriorly displaced anus and omphalocele; heart defects such as right-sided aortic arch, patent ductus arteriosus, cleft mitral valve, transposition of the great arteries, atrial and ventrical septal defects, anomalous pulmonary venous return, and aotrtic stenosis; and craniofacial malformations such as cleft lip and palate, and multiple-suture craniosynostosis.
Pfizer’s safety information posted online doesn’t mention birth defects
On their website, Pfizer has posted “Important Safety Information” about possible complications of Zoloft, but doesn’t specifically mention birth defects. The site does state that “[w]omen who are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or who are breastfeeding should not take any antidepressant without consulting their doctor,” but to date doesn’t acknowledge any risk of birth defects, nor does it indicate that Zoloft poses any risk to a pregnancy that other antidepressants don’t also pose.
injurylawyer-news.com/2012/10/a-lawsuit-alleging-birth-defects-from-zoloft-is-filed-in-pennsylvania/
CASE #4
Zoloft Drugmaker Blamed for Child Death
Elise Kramer | October 11th, 2012 | Posted in Zoloft Lawsuits
A New York couple has filed a lawsuit against Zoloft drug maker Pfizer, claiming that the antidepressant Zoloft is responsible for the birth defects experienced by their deceased son. The lawsuit was filed on August 17, 2012, in the United States’ District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where the current Zoloft multidistrict litigation case is taking place. Jessica and Shawn Coon are claiming that Zoloft was responsible for the side effects experienced by their child, as Jessica took the medication during her pregnancy; they claim that they were not adequately informed of potential side effects associated with the medication at the time.
Negligence claimed by couple
The plaintiffs claim that the deceased minor, known as J.A.C., was born with congenital heart defects caused by birth defects after Zoloft use. He passed away just one month after he was born at the West Chester Medical Center in New York. They claim that because of Pfizer’s negligence and misrepresentation, Jessica Coon continued to take the SSRI drug Zoloft while she was pregnant with her child, which resulted in the birth defects he suffered and in his subsequent death.
The lawsuit claims that Pfizer and its subsidiaries, including Greenstone LLC, did not demonstrate reasonable care in the production, marketing, and distribution of their antidepressant, which caused a number of patients to suffer from birth defects as a result of the drug’s use by pregnant mothers. A number of studies have shown that Zoloft can be linked to an increased risk in birth defects, including PPHN and congenital heart disorders, which can be fatal in serious cases.
Numerous birth defects associated with antidepressant
The growing number of plaintiffs who have chosen to file a birth defects lawsuit related to Zoloft indicates the serious concern about birth defects related to the drug. Studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that infants born to women taking SSRI medications such as Zoloft were 50 percent more likely to develop heart defects and other serious heart problems.
injurylawyer-news.com/2012/10/zoloft-drugmaker-blamed-for-child-death/
About the Author: Ann Blake Tracy is the author of PROZAC: PANACEA OR PANDORA? –OUR SEROTONIN NIGHTMARE!, and the director of the International Coalition For Drug Awareness [www.drugawareness.org]. She has testified before the FDA and has testified as an expert in legal cases involving serotonergic medications since 1992.
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