A recent Zofran lawsuit has been filed by a Minnesota mother who claims the anti nausea medication caused two of her children to be born with serious, life-threatening birth defects.

Plaintiff Cheri F. filed the Zofran birth defects lawsuit against drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) for not performing any clinical studies on pregnant women yet marketing the medication as a safe and effective way to ward off symptoms of morning sickness. The Zofran birth defect lawsuit alleges “GSK’s conduct was tantamount to using expectant mothers and their unborn children as human guinea pigs.”

The plaintiff is seeking compensation of more than $75,000 to help cover the medical expenses of her two children born with congenital heart defects, a condition she claims would not have occurred had she been fully informed of the risks associated with taking Zofran during pregnancy.

Zofran Birth Defect Lawsuit

Although Zofran was approved by the FDA in 1991 for use in cancer patients needing relief from severe nausea, the Zofran birth defects lawsuit claims GSK began marketing the drug to pregnant women as well, despite having no knowledge that the drug was truly safe for their unborn children.

However, within one year GSK allegedly began receiving reports of birth defects associated with Zofran, but Cheri alleges the company did nothing to disclose these findings to expectant mothers or their doctors.

As in this case, plaintiff Cheri was prescribed Zofran early on in her pregnancy to help with morning sickness. When her first child was born, the infant was diagnosed with a heart defect which prevented her from developing physically. The Zofran lawsuit states that a few years later it became necessary for Cheri’s daughter to undergo surgery to repair the hole in her heart.

During this time, the plaintiff became pregnant again and was once more prescribed Zofran to help with nausea. Cheri’s second child was also born with a congenital heart defect and was unable to breathe on her own at birth. The heart condition has reportedly prevented the plaintiff’s daughter from thriving.

The plaintiff claims that there is no history of birth defects or genetic anomalies in her family. Cheri states that had she known the birth defect risks linked to Zofran, she never would have taken it.

Zofran Risks

Since its FDA approval, GSK has received more than 200 reports of birth defects from woman who took the medication during pregnancy. According to the Zofran lawsuit, these birth defect reports include but are not limited to: congenital heart disease, intrauterine death, stillbirth, kidney defects, congenital diaphragmatic anomaly, musculoskeletal defects, cleft lip and cleft palates.

These birth defects could have easily been avoided had GSK simply conducted clinical trials in pregnant women or had the drug manufacturer tried to seek FDA approval to market the medication to expectant mothers, the Zofran birth defects lawsuit says.

Numerous Zofran birth defect lawsuits have been filed by parents on behalf of their children to help compensate for the continuous medical treatments needed to manage their conditions.

This Zofran Birth Defect Lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.