A Texas mother recently filed a Zoloft birth defects lawsuit on behalf of her daughter, alleging that her ingestion of Zoloft during the first trimester of pregnancy led to her daughter’s permanent and damaging Zoloft birth defects.

Plaintiff Teri H., alleges in her Zoloft birth defects lawsuit that her child was born in 1995 with congenital birth defects, including transient tachypnea of newborn as well as a poorly functioning and refluxing right duplex kidney.

Teri claims that these, as well as other related conditions, were directly caused by her ingestion of Zoloft during pregnancy. Teri alleges that, had she been adequately warned of the potential risk of Zoloft birth defects for her child, she would not have ingested the drug and would have spared her child pain, suffering, and lasting birth defects.

The Zoloft birth defects lawsuit further alleges that, before Teri became pregnant, Pfizer either knew or should have known about the risks of congenital birth defects associated with Zoloft intake.

According to the Zoloft lawsuit, studies and reports had, by this time, shown that Zoloft crosses the placenta and can pose significant risks to a developing fetus such as the plaintiff’s child.

The lawsuit also claims that, not only did Pfizer know of the potential for birth defects linked with Zoloft, but continued to misrepresent both the safety and effectiveness of Zoloft in a deliberate attempt to deceive Zoloft users.

Teri filed her Zoloft birth defects lawsuit on multiple counts, including defective design, failure to warn, negligence, and fraudulent misrepresentation and concealment.

About Zoloft

Zoloft (sertraline) was approved for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1991.

Zoloft was later additionally approved to treat Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Acute Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, and Social Anxiety Disorder.

Zoloft is part of a class of drugs called “selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors,” or more commonly, SSRIs. Zoloft is manufactured by Pfizer.

The official FDA stance on drug warnings is that drug companies, including the defendant, are required to issue stronger warnings whenever there exists reasonable evidence of a link between a serious risk and their drug. These regulations state specifically that the link between the potential risk and the drug need not be proven before issuing the new warnings.

Zoloft Birth Defects Lawsuits

Many parents whose children have been born with birth defects after taking Zoloft or a similar SSRI drug during pregnancy have responded by filing Zoloft birth defects lawsuits, attempting to gain some compensation for the physical, emotional, and financial losses experienced due to Zoloft.

Plaintiffs in these Zoloft birth defects lawsuits allege that Pfizer was aware of both preclinical studies and later published studies linking Zoloft with serious birth defects. 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.

If you or someone you know has been negatively affected by side effects of Zoloft, including Zoloft birth defects, you may be able to file a lawsuit.

The Zoloft Birth Defects Lawsuit is Case No. 2:14-cv-07329-CMR, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.