Zoloft Manufacturer Requests Consolidation

The manufacturer of popular antidepressant Zoloft is facing a number of lawsuits regarding the product from patients who have experienced adverse side effects after taking the drug. Now, drug maker Pfizer is requesting that 59 lawsuits relating to Zoloft birth defects, one of the more commonly cited Zoloft side effects in these lawsuits, be consolidated into a multidistrict litigation case. The request was filed in a motion with the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation on January 18th, 2012.

Pfizer requests location for Zoloft MDL

Pfizer has requested that Zoloft multidistrict litigation, if it is approved, take place in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, but also suggested the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi and the Northern District of Ohio as other possible locations for Zoloft multidistrict litigation. 

A multidistrict litigation case would allow one federal judge to handle more than one Zoloft lawsuit, especially if the lawsuits dealt with similar circumstances or side effects. This would help plaintiffs and defendants reach consensuses about settlements and other matters in a more efficient way, as pretrial processes would be combined in similar cases so that litigation could move more quickly through the legal system. Pfizer is arguing that consolidating cases into a multidistrict litigation lawsuit would be beneficial to plaintiffs and defendants alike. 

Zoloft Lawsuit Over Life-Threatening PPHN

Zoloft is one of the more commonly used medications in the United States, as it is approved to treat a number of relatively common psychological disorders including depression and anxiety. A number of women turned to Zoloft for relief from depression and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy, which can be triggered by an increase or fluctuation in hormones. Some of these women found out too late that Zoloft can have a serious impact on the health of an unborn child, especially when it is taken in the first trimester of pregnancy. One of the most dangerous Zoloft birth defect side effects is the possibility of an unborn child developing Zoloft persistent pulmonary hypertension.

Zoloft Birth Defects in Review

The Food and Drug Administration warned about Zoloft and other SSRI birth defects risks in November of 2006, and many patients have been concerned about them ever since. Zoloft and other SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) drugs have been linked to a risk of serious birth defects, especially when they are taken in the first trimester of pregnancy. A number of patients who have seen the results of Zoloft birth defects firsthand have decided to consult a Zoloft lawyer and take legal action. 

There are a number of potential birth defects that might occur when a woman takes Zoloft for depression or other psychological conditions during pregnancy. These can include defects that affect a number of necessary systems and organs, including the heart, brain, and abdomen. 

Warnings on Zoloft Birth Defects Softened by FDA

In recent allegations made during Zoloft Lawsuits, plaintiffs have said they took Zoloft because they believed it to be a safe medication for women to ingest while pregnant. Instead, their babies were born with Zoloft Side Effects such as heart defects, neural tube defects, gastroschisis, omphalocele, craniosynostosis, cleft lip, club foot, anal atresia and limb reduction defects, but now the FDA has indicated that conflicting studies make it premature to reach any conclusions. On December 14, the FDA issued a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) drug safety communication, indicating that the drug labels will be updated for the entire class of medications, which includes Zoloft. The FDA will update warning labels about the potential link between SSRI antidepressants and PPHN to reflect the new data and conflicting results.

Recent studies had found that women who took Zoloft during pregnancy were more likely to give birth to babies experiencing Zoloft birth defects than women who take other antidepressants or women who do not take any antidepressants during pregnancy. These Zoloft side effects can be life-threatening and include serious health problems such as Zoloft heart defects. Now, many women are investigating filing their own Zoloft lawsuit, alleging the company did not properly warn them about the risks associated with taking the antidepressant during pregnancy. The FDA told doctors that they must weigh for themselves the potential risks and benefits of prescribing an antidepressant from the SSRI family to a pregnant mother, noting that untreated depression can also lead to poor birth outcomes.

More recently, momentum has been building for Zoloft lawsuits over Pfizer’s failure to warn about the risk of birth defects when taken during pregnancy. Plaintiffs have asserted that Pfizer knew or should have known that Zoloft crosses the placenta, which could have important implications for the developing fetus. The complaints accused Pfizer of knowing of the dangers but failing to inform the public. In fact, plaintiffs have alleged that Pfizer marketed Zoloft as the safest anti-depressant on the market for expectant mothers. plaintiffs allege strict products liability, breach of express warranty, negligence, misrepresentation by omission, negligent misrepresentation, fraud and misrepresentation, fraud by concealment, violation of consumer protection laws and breach of implied warranties against Pfizer.

North Carolina Lawsuit Blames Zoloft for Baby’s Birth Defects

Zoloft, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressant (SSRI), has been name in a lawsuit that claims it caused a baby to be born with Zoloft birth defects, including the fatal condition Persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns (PPHN), a serious respiratory disorder which could be suffered by a newborn after birth.  In some cases, PPHN could be caused by antidepressant side effects when the medications are taken during the pregnancy. On October 26, 2011, Amanda Brooke Pierce Phelps filed a Zoloft lawsuit against drug giant Pfizer in the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York seeking in excess of $75,000 in damages. The newborn was diagnosed as having Tetralogy of Fallot, truncus arteriosus, ventricular septal defect, atrial septal defect, confluent branch pulmonary arteries, pulmonary valve atresia and other cardiopulmonary defects that were allegedly caused by Zoloft side effects.

Zoloft Lawsuit Filed Following Death of Couple’s Child

A couple in Missouri has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Pfizer, alleging that the mother’s use of the antidepressant Zoloft during pregnancy led to their child suffer severe Zoloft birth defects and heart problems that were eventually fatal. According to the complaint, Peska was given Zoloft during her pregnancy, which caused her child to be born with a number of heart defects in October of 2009. By the following day, the baby was dead. A number of other Zoloft side effects birth defect lawsuits filed in recent months raise similar allegations that Pfizer failed to adequately warn about the risk of problems with their medication, and that the drug maker continues to refuse to properly warn pregnant women to avoid the antidepressant.

Zoloft (sertraline) is a second generation antidepressant that is made by Pfizer, which is part of a class of medications known as SSRI antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). Generic Zoloft equivalents are also available from a number of drug makers. According to allegations raised in Zoloft lawsuit settlements over Zoloft, the drug makers failed to adequately research the effect of the medication when used during pregnancy

Zoloft Birth Defects Lawsuits Growing in Number

One of the most tragic side effects of the SSRI drug Zoloft is the potential for Zoloft birth defects. Birth defects are most likely in women who have taken Zoloft or other SSRI drugs in the first trimester of pregnancy. Previously, the link between Zoloft and similar drugs and Zoloft birth defect lawsuit was thought to be minimal but it has more recently become clear that there are more serious problems associated with the medication than was previously thought.

Zoloft is a commonly-used treatment for depression, general anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, and a number of other conditions. These are relatively common conditions. Zoloft birth defect lawsuit is an SSRI drug, which means it works by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin in the brain, allowing the “feel-good” chemical serotonin to work longer and harder in order to help a patient regulate his or her mood.

Heightened Risk of Bleeding with Zoloft, Aspirin

Zoloft is a brand name drug known fairly well by name across the country. Most people know a friend or family member who is taking Zoloft drug recall lawsuit for depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, general anxiety disorder, or another related condition. Some people may be aware that Zoloft birth defect lawsuit can be significant in helping patients overcome their psychological condition. So why do Zoloft lawsuits keep piling up in the courts?

Many people are familiar with the widely-publicized warnings that Zoloft could increase the chances of suicide or suicidal thoughts in patients. Most of the patients who are affected by Zoloft lawsuit suicide are children, young adults, and teenagers.

Zoloft Lawyers Grapple With Zoloft Birth Defects Lawsuits

The Food and Drug Administration warned Zoloft patients as early as 2005 that they should avoid taking SSRI drugs such as Zoloft during the first trimester—or three months—of pregnancy because of the possibility of heart-related birth defects. Ventricle septal defects and atrial septal defects are the issues most commonly reported with Zoloft lawsuit heart-related birth defects, and occur when holes develop in the heart, which can lead to open-heart surgery and even death. The New England Journal of Medicine’s revelation caused a major upswing of Zoloft birth defect lawsuit from mothers and families whose babies had been born with side effects.

Zoloft is an SSRI drug, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, which is an antidepressant that works by blocking the reuptake of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a chemical that helps a person feel happier and this method can help maintain feelings of happiness and diminish mood swings and anxiety. There are Zoloft drug recall lawsuit because of the severe side effects that it has been associated with, including birth defects and depression.