The Pennsylvania federal judge who has been overseeing federal multi district litigation (MDL) of Zoloft birth defect lawsuits since April 2012 has scheduled the first bellwether trial for early 2016.

There are now 545 Zoloft lawsuits pending throughout the federal court system making similar allegations that drug maker Pfizer failed to warn consumers about potential birth defects as a result of women taking Zoloft during pregnancy.

Zoloft birth defect lawsuits have been filed by the families of children born with severe physical birth defects including cardiac defects, spinal malformation, pulmonary hypertension, lung, abdominal, and cranial defects among others, all allegedly stemming from exposure to the antidepressant during pregnancy.

In a pretrial order issued on May 1, U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe determined the order in which these trials will go forward.

The first bellwether trial is expected to begin in January 2016 and involves Alabama mother, Deidra L. who alleges her son was born with congenital birth defects in 2008 as a result of taking Zoloft during pregnancy. Deidra claims her son has needed several surgeries to correct his Zoloft birth defects and will need continual care.

The outcomes of these early Zoloft bellwether trials will not be binding on other Zoloft lawsuits, but may help determine how the parties want to proceed.

About Zoloft

Zoloft has been widely prescribed to patients who suffer from symptoms of panic disorder and depression.  It was originally approved for use in the United States by the FDA in 1991.

Zoloft is a member of a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs.  Zoloft was marketed as a safe medication as compared to other drugs that were on the market at the time of its approval.

That message proved to be effective, as Zoloft eventually became one of the most prescribed medications in the United States.  At its height, tens of millions of prescriptions for Zoloft were written annually, generating more than $2.5 billion in revenue during 2006 alone.

Zoloft Lawsuits

Many allegations in Zoloft birth defect lawsuits came from women who had used Zoloft while pregnant and whose children were born with birth defects.  Many of these alleged Zoloft birth defects were extremely serious.  Examples of some of the problems encountered include:

• Holes in the heart
• Hypoplastic left heart syndrome
• Tetralogy of fallot (TOF)
• Coarctation of the aorta

Given the number of Zoloft lawsuits filed, they were consolidated into what is known as a multidistrict litigation, or MDL.  These bellwether trials are a select few individual claims that are heard first.

They are ordered so that the other parties involved can gauge how evidence will be received and how successful arguments may be made when they are made at trial.  They can also prompt settlement negotiations.