More Zoloft Birth Defect Lawsuits Filed in New York

A long list of Zoloft birth defects is beginning to add up in recent Zoloft lawsuits filed against the antidepressant’s manufacturer, Pfizer, Inc. The plaintiffs in the cases allege that the use of Zoloft led to various birth defects, including heart defects, clubfoot, cleft lip, craniosynostosis, anal atresia and cleft lip. Six plaintiffs recently had their cases added to Judge Carol E. Huff of the New York County Supreme Court, on January 17, 2012. These plaintiffs all state that if the warnings on the drug had been made clearer, showing a clearer link to the Zoloft birth defects, then they never would have taken the risk of using the drug while pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant.

Zoloft was introduced by Pfizer in 1991 for the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety. By 2007 there were nearly 30 million prescriptions, making it the most prescribed antidepressant in the United States. Zoloft belongs to a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The Zoloft litigation is currently spread out among at least a dozen different U.S. District Judges, which could result in conflicting scheduling orders. However, the vast majority of the complaints over Zoloft are currently pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where at least 48 of lawsuits are pending. The number of lawsuits over Zoloft is expected to continue to grow over the coming years as parents and young adults discover that birth defects or malformations may have been caused by the popular antidepressant.

According to the lawsuits that have been filed, mothers used Zoloft only because they believed it was safe to take the medication during pregnancy. These suits also allege that Pfizer knew of the dangers of Zoloft to the developing fetus, but failed to alert consumers to those risks, in fact, Zoloft lawyers are arguing that Pfizer marketed Zoloft as the safest anti-depressant on the market for pregnant mothers, despite it knowing the dangers. Zoloft lawsuit alleges strict product liability, negligence, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranties, misrepresentation by omission, negligent misrepresentation, fraud by concealment, fraud and misrepresentation, and violation of consumer protection laws.

Antidepressants Like Zoloft, Lead to Common Side Effects

Zoloft lawyers are reviewing potential claims for children who may be entitled to compensation through a Zoloft birth defect lawsuit as a result of the drug maker’s failure to warn about the risks associated with use of the medication during pregnancy. According to the FDA, SSRI antidepressants, like Zoloft, are among the most commonly prescribed drugs to treat depression during pregnancy. However, there are no adequate and well-controlled studies of SSRIs in pregnant women. In 2006, the “Usage in Pregnancy” section on the labels for SRRI antidepressants was updated with the following warning: “Infants exposed to SSRIs in late pregnancy may have an increased risk for persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).” The labels were modified after a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported a six-fold increase in PPHN among newborn babies whose mothers were exposed to an SSRI after 20 weeks of gestation.

Despite a number of studies and reports suggesting a potential link between Zoloft and birth defects, the manufacturers have failed to provide sufficient information to pregnant women or women of child-bearing potential, so that steps could be taken to avoid using Zoloft while pregnant. In June 2007, studies found an association between the use of antidepressants like Zoloft early in the pregnancy and a risk of abnormal skull development, gastrointestinal abnormality and brain defects. As a result of the drug makers’ failure to adequately research their medication and warn women or the medical community about the risk of Zoloft birth defect side effects, many children have been left with permanent and potentially life-threatening health problems.

The most common side effects of Zoloft are: Increased sweating, headache, nausea, diarrhea or loose stools, drowsiness, trembling or shaking and sexual problem. In relation to the more severe side effects associated with pregnant mothers and infants, allegations have been raised by parents of many children born with defects or malformations, that the drug makers failed to adequately research the side effects of Zoloft when used during pregnancy and failed to adequately warn women and the medical community about the potential health problems that could be suffered by unborn children exposed to the medication.

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. 

Zoloft Birth Defects: Families Involved in Lawsuits

One of the most tragic side effects of the anti-depressant medication Zoloft is the possibility of birth defects that have been linked to the drug. A number of families have been impacted by these side effects and some have filed lawsuits because of the side effects. The medication can contribute to a risk of birth defects in children, especially when taken by pregnant women in their first trimester of pregnancy. Now, eight families have filed lawsuits in Michigan in a combined lawsuit. All of these families assert that the mother's use of the popular antidepressant during pregnancy has resulted in severe birth defects.

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension Risk with Zoloft Sited in FDA Studies

Zoloft is approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to treat major depression, social anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder in adults and OCD in 6 to 17 year olds. The popular anti-anxiety drug has also been linked to severe side effects in fetuses of women taking it during pregnancy. Federal health regulators have previously warned that the use of SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy may cause a rare heart and lung birth defect, known as persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns (PPHN), but now indicate that conflicting studies make it premature to reach any conclusions. A Zoloft lawyer is likely to use statistics found in the 2006 study when seeking a settlement in a Zoloft PPHN lawsuit.

Zoloft and similar drugs, known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) antidepressants, operate by raising levels of serotonin, which plays a role in the development of the fetus. A number of studies have linked SSRI antidepressants, including Zoloft, to birth defects. In July 2006, the FDA warned that women who use the antidepressant Zoloft after the 20th week of pregnancy are six times more likely to give birth to a child with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn. PPHN is a birth defect that results in newborns being unable to adapt to breathing outside of the womb. They frequently require intensive care and the use of a mechanical ventilator to help them breathe. Severe cases of PPHN can result in multiple organ damage, brain damage and death.

Treatment of PPHN often involves use of a ventilator or providing 100% oxygen to the baby. This helps open the arteries leading to the lungs. In more extreme cases, the newborn’s blood may be fed through a machine which adds oxygen and removes carbon dioxide. Momentum has been building for Zoloft lawsuits over Pfizer’s failure to warn about the risk of birth defects when taken during pregnancy. Potential side effects of Zoloft for unborn children have been reported to occur when the drug is taken as early as the first trimester, a time when many women do not even realize they are pregnant.

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 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.

Zoloft Birth Defects and Lawsuits Closely Linked

A significant number of women who took Zoloft while pregnant, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy, have experienced the trauma and hardship of giving birth to a child with often-serious Zoloft birth defects. Zoloft is one of the most popular anti-depressant medications on the market in many countries today, and is an SSRI, meaning that it works by blocking the reuptake of the feel-good chemical serotonin in the brain, helping patients with conditions like depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and many other conditions manage and regulate their symptoms. However, although Zoloft has benefited many people with some of the most common psychological conditions in the world, it also comes with a wide variety of often serious Zoloft side effects.