Plaintiffs who filed a Zoloft birth defects lawsuit against Pfizer Inc. that is part of the multidistrict litigation (MDL) have withdrawn reports from two experts that were found to be inadmissible.

The reports linked Zoloft to various deformities. However, the plaintiffs reserved their right to additional expert opinions, including reports from the same experts.

As early as February 2014, Pfizer sought to exclude the testimony those two experts. One, the company said, based his opinion on Zoloft’s effects on non-mammals, which Pfizer argued was too far of a stretch to be considered reliable evidence.

The other expert’s report, according to the company, was filled with picked-over studies to support his opinion that Zoloft, as well as other SSRI drugs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) can cause birth defects. Pfizer also claimed that this expert only developed the opinion that Zoloft is linked with SSRI birth defects after becoming a litigation expert.

While U.S. District Judge Cynthia M. Rufe found that the two scientists responsible for these reports had offered insufficient evidence in this case, she also determined that the two are “genuinely talented scientists,” and their expert opinions could be sought in the future if they provided more substantial research and more thorough evidence.

Zoloft Birth Defects

Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride) is part of the class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first approved Zoloft for the treatment of major depression in 1991.

Plaintiffs involved in Zoloft birth defects lawsuits claim that Pfizer Inc. misrepresented Zoloft to the medical community and the public as safe and effective when it was causing serious birth defects.

According to Zoloft lawsuits, studies over the past several years have established associations between exposure to SSRI drugs (including Zoloft) during pregnancy and the development of birth defects.

The official FDA says drug companies are required to issue stronger warnings whenever they learn of reasonable evidence linking a drug to a serious risk. These regulations state specifically that the link between the potential risk and the drug need not be proven before issuing the new warnings.

Many Zoloft birth defects lawsuits allege that Pfizer was aware of Zoloft’s connection to birth defects, but chose not to adequately warn about the risk of birth defects associated with its product.

If you took Zoloft and had a child born with birth defects, you may be able to file a Zoloft birth defects lawsuit.