Iowa Couple Sues Pfizer over Baby’s Birth Defects

Iowa Couple Sues Pfizer over Baby’s Birth Defects

By Amanda Antell

Mandi R. Rees and Eric A. Rees of Iowa are suing Pfizer Inc., alleging that the antidepressant Zoloft caused their child to be born with birth defects after Mandi ingested the drug during her pregnancy.

The minor plaintiff was born on Sept.18, 2003, suffering from congenital heart defects, including inlet left ventricle, pulmonary stenosis, transposition of great arteries, and other complications. Allegedly due to these Zoloft complications, the minor plaintiff required multiple surgeries during the first year of life and will reportedly be affected by the birth defects for the rest of his or her life.

Mandi was first prescribed Zoloft for her anxiety while she was pregnant with the minor plaintiff. According to the Zoloft lawsuit, neither she nor her physician was aware of the possibility of birth defects occurring to her child. She took Zoloft throughout her pregnancy. She claims there were no warnings or indications about the risk of birth defects on the drug’s label.

In her Zoloft birth defects lawsuit, Mandi states that Pfizer had the responsibility to warn her and other women who use Zoloft of these possibilities. She and her husband are suing Pfizer for manufacturing, selling, distributing, and marketing a dangerous drug. The charges include negligence, false advertising, concealing information and misrepresenting a product.

Overview of Zoloft Complications

Zoloft (sertraline) was first approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1991, and was released into the United States market in 1992. It is a powerful antidepressant that is prescribed to adult and child patients to treat major mood disorders and anxiety. The drug is unique compared to other antidepressants due to the fact that it belongs to a drug family known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Despite the recent concern of this drug being associated with birth defects, it still remains one of Pfizer’s most popular products. There were 37,208,000 Zoloft prescriptions in 2011 alone.

As opposed to traditional antidepressants, SSRIs work by targeting the specific malfunction in the brain, and directly counteracts it. This makes the emotional and physical side effects less severe for the patient, making SSRIs vastly popular amongst patients. However, according to FDA injury reports, Zoloft and other SSRIs may be potentially causing birth defects in unborn children. After various court hearings, it was eventually uncovered that there had been pre-clinical trails on Zoloft to test whether or not it did cause birth defects.

According to court records, Pfizer had conducted medical testing on pregnant mice using Zoloft, and discovered that the drug had harmed a majority of the fetuses. Despite these findings, Pfizer did not discourage pregnant women from using Zoloft, nor did they include any warning indications on the drug’s label. Evidence shows that Pfizer even allegedly marketed Zoloft specifically to pregnant women in some advertisements.

Despite the amount of public criticism Pfizer has received for the inadequate language on Zoloft’s warning label, they have yet to update it to include birth defects. This failure to warn about the risk of birth defects has led to various legal movements, including the multidistrict litigation (MDL) that the Reeses are a part of. They are joining other parents who allege negligence against the pharmaceutical giant.

The Zoloft birth defects lawsuit is In Re: Zoloft (Sertraline Hydrochloride) Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2342, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

File a Zoloft Lawsuit Today

If you believe that you or a loved one have been the victim of an SSRI birth defect, you have legal options. Please visit the Zoloft, Paxil, Celexa, Lexapro & Prozac SSRI Antidepressant Birth Defect Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. There, you can submit your claim for a free legal review and if it qualifies for legal action, a seasoned SSRI birth defect lawyer will contact you for a free, no-obligation consultation. You will be guided through the litigation process at no out-of-pocket expenses or hidden fees. The birth defect attorneys working this investigation do not get paid until you do.