Depakote Birth Defect Lawsuit Filed by 27 Plaintiffs

A group of 27 Plaintiffs have filed a Depakote birth defect lawsuit in Illinois against Abbott Laboratories alleging their children were born with birth defects as a result of using the anticonvulsant medication Depakote during the early stages of pregnancy. The Plaintiffs — all women — are seeking actual damages and other forms of relief from the drug maker for continuing to market Depakote without warning women of the dangers of taking the medication during pregnancy. They allege their children were born with a litany of Depakote birth defects in the lawsuit, including spina bifida, cleft palate, cleft lip, limb malformations, developmental delays, genitourinary malformations and heart malformations.

The Depakote birth defect lawsuit, entitled Arrowood, et al. v. Abbott Laboratories, Inc., was filed in the Illinois Southern District Court on June 8, 2012 by 27 women who used Depakote during the early stages of their pregnancy to help control their migraine headaches and epilepsy symptoms. According to their Depakote lawyer, the drug directly contributed to their children being born with varying Depakote birth defects. They are asking the court to hold the pharmaceutical company liable for the huge medical expenses they incurred, as well as pain and suffering, for failing to adequately warn the public about the risks of Depakote birth defects. These are the same allegations raised in hundreds of Zoloft birth defect lawsuits, Paxil birth defect lawsuits, and SSRI antidepressant class action lawsuits.

Depakote birth defect are very similar to Zoloft and Paxil birth defects. Babies born to mothers who use Depakote or SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy are at risk for numerous dangerous side effects, including cleft palate, heart defects, limp abnormalities, spina bifida, and more. Multiple studies on these drugs back up the claims made in hundreds of birth defect lawsuits. For example, an anticonvulsant birth defect study conducted over a period of seven years at five Boston area hospitals, involving more than 1,000 births, found that more than 20% of infants whose mothers had taken Depakote or another anticonvulsant during pregnancy were born with major birth defects. Similar SSRI antidepressant birth defect studies have drawn similar conclusions, including a recent study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology that found expectant mothers who use Zoloft, Paxil, Prozac and other SSRI antidepressants are more likely to go into premature labor or have their newborn suffer infant seizures.

Many parents have filed and successfully won birth defect lawsuit settlements to help them cover their vast medical expenses, which they claim is caused by the pharmaceutical companies’ inadequate drug warnings. If your child was born with a Depakote birth defect, Zoloft Birth Defect, Paxil Birth Defect, or other birth defect you believe was caused by taking a medication during pregnancy, a birth defect attorney can help you get the compensation you deserve.

If you would like more information about filing a birth defect lawsuit or birth defect class action lawsuit, go to the Depakote Birth Defect Class Action Lawsuit Investigation page to submit your information for a free consultation. Birth defect lawyers are actively investigating all claims of birth defects caused by medications, including PPHN, cardiac defects, Autism, cranial birth defects, spina bifida, clubfoot, and more. These birth defect lawyers don’t get paid unless you do.