A Florida mother filed a Zoloft birth defects lawsuit against pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc., claiming that Zoloft ingested during her pregnancy resulted in severe birth defects for her child.

Plaintiff Emily W., filed this Zoloft lawsuit as an individual as well as on behalf of her child. Her child was born in August 2007 with serious birth defects, including but not limited to bilateral clubbed feet and nystagmus, a severe eye condition. The treatment of these conditions has required her baby to undergo multiple serious medical procedures.

In her Zoloft birth defects lawsuit, Emily claims that had the Zoloft manufacturer adequately warned her of the potential risk of birth defects associated with their antidepressant drug, she would not have taken Zoloft and her child would not have been born with birth defects.

Emily further alleges that Pfizer either knew or should have known that Zoloft can cause serious birth defects, and subsequently failed to disclose this information and warn consumers and the medical community of these risks.

The Zoloft lawsuit claims that, prior to Emily using Zoloft during pregnancy, Pfizer was aware of both pre-clinical studies and later published studies linking SSRI drugs like Zoloft with serious birth defects, prematurity, poor neonatal adaptation, and significantly lower mean birth weight and length.

Despite this alleged knowledge, Pfizer took no action to further study Zoloft to the best of their abilities, and actively concealed and suppressed the dangers of their product.

Emily filed this Zoloft birth defects lawsuit on behalf of herself and her child on multiple counts, including but not limited to defective design, failure to warn, negligence, fraud, fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment, and breach of implied and express warranties.

She hopes that, through her pursuit of this Zoloft lawsuit, she can gain some financial compensation to help repair the medical, financial, and emotional damages allegedly caused by Zoloft.

Zoloft Birth Defects Lawsuits

Zoloft (sertraline) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1991 for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Zoloft was later approved to treat Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) in 1996, and has since been approved to treat Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, and Social Anxiety Disorder.

Zoloft is used by millions of Americans to treat depression and belongs to a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors,” or SSRIs.

More specifically, pregnant women have been prescribed Zoloft to help with anxiety involved with their pregnancy. The fetuses of these women using Zoloft or other SSRI antidepressants greater risk of developing a birth defect.

If you, or someone you know, has given birth to a child with birth defects after ingesting Zoloft, you may be able to file an individual Zoloft birth defects lawsuit or join a Zoloft birth defects class action lawsuit.

The Zoloft Birth Defect Lawsuit is Case No. 2:15-cv-00390-CMR, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.