Amanda Antell  |  July 31, 2015

Category: Legal News

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Zoloft birth defectsIn a recent development in the Zoloft litigation movement, it has been revealed that Pfizer’s own scientists had been worried over the possibility of birth defects long before they became public knowledge. This revelation came during a long jury trial in June 2015, after the company’s memos were examined in court. These documents detailed the concern of Pfizer’s researchers describing the risk of birth defects if Zoloft were prescribed to a pregnant woman.

What is Zoloft?

Zoloft is one of the most popular antidepressants in the United States, generally prescribed to treat a variety of mood disorders. This drug is a part of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which work by channeling a single brain chemical that decreases the severity of mental side effects. Unfortunately, it has been recently alleged that Zoloft can cause major birth defects in children according to recent studies and FDA public announcements.

Zoloft Birth Defects Concerns

This evidence was brought forward in a recent Zoloft lawsuit brought forth by the family of Mia R., where internal reports from Pfizer were presented as evidence to show a link between Zoloft and cardiac defects.

Like similar Zoloft lawsuits before her, Mia’s family alleges that the company failed to warn the girl’s mother and the medical community about the possibility of Zoloft birth defects. Medical records show that the girl was born with a hole in her heart. While concern generated over Zoloft birth defects has been fairly recent, evidence shows that Pfizer may have been aware of the link between Zoloft and birth defects for much longer.

Currently, Mia’s family is seeking $2.4 million in damages against Pfizer for medical compensation and other punitive damages.

Pfizer Allegedly Warned Of Zoloft Birth Defects Link

According to legal documents, an associate director of Pfizer’s Worldwide Safety Strategy released a review in April 2014, warning the company’s executives of Zoloft birth defects. The associate director, Francesca Kolitsopoulous, described how studies showed a correlation between Zoloft and cardiac defects, and suggested that the drug’s label be updated to include this risk as well as information from relevant studies.

Kolitsopoulous put the most emphasis on Zoloft and septal heart defects, and also warned against omphalocele birth defects, or hole in the abdominal wall, that causes the intestines and organs to develop outside of fetus’ belly.

Even before this review was released, Pfizer’s own reviewers had allegedly warned that Zoloft may cause congenital cardiac complications all the way back in 1998. Neither the 2014 review or 1998 review were revealed until presented in the Zoloft lawsuit.

Zoloft Lawsuits

Pfizer continues to defend its decision by stating that the information presented is misleading, accusing the plaintiffs’ lawyers of hand-picking data and using it out of context. Pfizer is currently facing several hundred similar Zoloft lawsuits filed by mothers who used Zoloft and whose babies were born with severe birth defects.

Pfizer also faces dozens of Zoloft lawsuits filed in the federal court system, which are currently consolidated under U.S. District Judge Cynthia R. in Eastern Pennsylvania as part of a multidistrict litigation (MDL).

If Pfizer fails to reach settlement agreements with the MDL, the company could face hundreds of individual Zoloft lawsuits filed throughout the country.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The birth defect attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, birth defect lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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If you or a loved one took Zoloft, Prozac, Lexapro, Effexor, Celexa, Cymbalta or Depakote during pregnancy and gave birth to a child with a congenital defect, you may have a legal claim against the drug’s manufacturer. Find out if you qualify to pursue compensation for your child’s medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other damages by filling out the form below now.

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Please note: Top Class Actions is not a settlement administrator or law firm. Top Class Actions is a legal news source that reports on class action lawsuits, class action settlements, drug injury lawsuits and product liability lawsuits. Top Class Actions does not process claims and we cannot advise you on the status of any class action settlement claim. You must contact the settlement administrator or your attorney for any updates regarding your claim status, claim form or questions about when payments are expected to be mailed out.