Ind. Woman Sues Pfizer Inc. for Son’s Birth Defects

Ind. Woman Sues Pfizer Inc. for Son’s Birth Defects

By Amanda Antell

Indiana plaintiff Jennifer Goldman is suing Pfizer Inc. for the birth defects her son was born with. The plaintiff’s son was born in 2012 with debilitating birth defects allegedly caused by Jennifer ingesting Zoloft.The plaintiff was prescribed Zoloft for her depression sometime before the birth of her son, and had taken it throughout her pregnancy. Her son was born with congenital and life-threatening birth defects, requiring emergency medical intervention upon his birth. Her son will now have to contend with continuous therapy, and suffer the limitations of these birth defects for the rest of his life. The mother states that she and her son have already faced extreme anguish and humiliation from these defects.

At no point in time was the plaintiff or her physician aware of these possible side effects of Zoloft, the lawsuit claims. There were no warnings or indications on the drug’s label, nor had the defendant company made any effort to contact her. Goldman states that if she had known about these birth defects from Zoloft being a possibility, she never would have taken the medication.

So for being directly responsible for manufacturing, selling, distributing, and manufacturing a dangerous drug, Goldman is suing Pfizer Inc. The charges include: negligence, false advertising, misrepresenting a product, and concealing information.

Overview of Zoloft Complications

Zoloft (Sertraline) is a powerful antidepressant that was first approved in 1991 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and was released a year later in 1992. This drug is manufactured by Pfizer, and is prescribed to treat major forms of depression and anxiety. Zoloft is unique among antidepressants in the United States, because it is a part of a drug family called SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors). Unlike other antidepressants, Zoloft only targets the specific malfunction in the brain that it is being prescribed for; without affecting the entire brain, it directly counteracts the malfunction to correct it. This means that the side effects of SSRIs are not as severe as traditional antidepressants.

This has made Zoloft exceedingly popular among patients; unfortunately this drug comes with the side effects that are not mentioned on the drug’s warning label. The absence of this language has caused Pfizer to face mass litigation movement, along with public criticism. To make matters worse for Pfizer, it has recently been discovered that the company may have known about these side effects for years, but chose to stay silent on the issue. Despite the amount of praise Zoloft has received for its efficiency, Pfizer has received mass criticism for it due to the fact that they admit that they do not know how the mechanism for the drug works, leading to even harsher criticism on Zoloft’s side effects.

These infamous side effects are the birth defects infants are born with, after a mother ingested Zoloft during some point of her pregnancy. There have been various studies through the years to study this correlation, which has raised high levels of concern from the FDA. A scientific study published in the 2006 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, showcased a study which showed the occurrence rate between Zoloft and other SSRIs with birth defects occurring in babies. This study found that women, who took SSRIs after their twentieth week of pregnancy, were six times more likely to give birth to babies with heart defects.

Zoloft Litigation Movement

Despite the severity of these numbers, Pfizer chose not to include this on Zoloft’s warning label, the Zoloft lawsuit states. Goldman’s case is being transferred to MDL No. 2342, joining other plaintiffs with similar allegations.

The Zoloft birth defect MDL is In re: Zoloft Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2342, in the United States District Court in Eastern Pennsylvania.

File a Zoloft Lawsuit Today

Studies have shown that women who have taken SSRI antidepressants during the first trimester of pregnancy are more likely to give birth to a child with congenital defects. These congenital defects include:

Cleft Palate or Cleft Lip
Spina Bifida
Omphalocele
Club foot
ASD/VSD (hole in heart)
Hypoplastic Left Heart or Right Heart Syndrome
Tetralogy of Fallot
Pulmonary Valve Stenosis
Other heart malformation or heart defect

If you took an antidepressant such as Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft or Effexor and your child was born with one or more of the birth defects listed above, you may qualify to pursue compensation from the drug manufacturer. Your child must be under the age of 18 and had surgery to correct his or congenital defects. If you would like to learn more and obtain a free case review, visit the SSRI Antidepressant Birth Defect Class Action Lawsuit Investigation.Receive the compensation you deserve at no cost to you! The attorneys working this case do not get paid until you do.