Zoloft Birth Defects Latest in Series of Lawsuits

Zoloft is a popular SSRI anti-depressant that functions by helping the serotonin that is naturally produced by the brain to do its job more effectively. Serotonin is a “feel-good” chemical and helps to balance moods and keep people happy. Zoloft and other SSRI drugs have been approved to treat disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety disorders and panic attacks, and clinical depression.

Shortly after its introduction into the United States’ pharmaceuticals market in 1992, patients began experiencing and reporting Zoloft side effects. One of the most common and most worrisome side effects was an increase in suicidal thoughts and behaviors, especially in children and young adults. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration mandated that all SSRI drugs have a “black box” warning placed on their packaging to advise patients about the heightened risk of suicide or suicide ideation. There has also been a link to severe birth defects and Zoloft.

Since a lawyer filed a suit against drugmaker Pfizer in 2004, the company has paid billions of dollars in settlements and fines – both to patients and to the United States government after they were found to be breaking federal laws in the manufacture and marketing of Zoloft. Now more and more people are in line to receive damages of their own from the drugmaking giant, as the recent study that definitively linked Zoloft to birth defects should open up another category of Zoloft lawsuit filing.

Pfizer has awarded settlements to many patients and families of patients, including the family of comedian Phil Hartman, whose wife was on Zoloft when she shot him, and then herself. The parents of 11-year-old Jacob Jackson also won money from the company after their son hung himself while taking the antidepressant. Many more patients have been settled with out of court, an ideal situation because it is much quicker than dealing with lengthy trials and much more private than a trial, which could become a media circus based on the prominence of the drugmaker and the severity of the side effects Zoloft causes.

Patients who have experienced Zoloft side effects may want to contact a Zoloft lawyer in order to answer any legal questions they may have.