Lawsuit Says Baby Died from Effexor Heart Defects

Lara Covert and her husband Ronald allege in a new Effexor lawsuit that their daughter was born with congenital heart defects that proved fatal as a result of Laura taking the antidepressant while pregnant. The Effexor birth defect lawsuit was transferred to multidistrict litigation in Pennsylvania on August 26.

The plaintiffs’ daughter, Lucy Covert, was born in 2004 in Missouri with hypoplastic aortic arch, coarctation of the aorta, and a small left ventricle, which their Effexor birth defect lawsuit notes is a “fatal” condition. The latter two congenital heart defects prevent blood flow at an acceptable level throughout the heart, which allegedly led to Lucy’s death soon after. The birth defect lawsuit alleges that Pfizer Inc. and subsidiaries should have known of these risks.

Specifically, the company should have been aware “before 1996 that use of SNRIs, including Effexor, during pregnancy caused lower gestational age and birth weight, longer hospital stays, and significantly lower Apgar scores than in non-exposed infants in control groups,” the Effexor lawsuit states. The studies are similar to those performed for popular SSRI antidepressants that include Zoloft and Celexa, which are also the subject of numerous birth defect lawsuits.

In spite of adverse event reports indicating the likelihood of congenital defects from Effexor and SSRI antidepressants, “Pfizer failed and continues to fail to warn… that Effexor significantly increases the risk of heart malformations and other birth defects,” the lawsuit says. 

While not noted in the Effexor lawsuit, other plaintiffs have argued that Paxil, a similar GlaxoSmithKline product, had an updated label warning of these pregnancy side effects in 2005, while numerous Pfizer products continue to be sold and marketed to women of childbearing age even though “Effexor has never been approved by the FDA for use in pregnant women.”

The couple is seeking compensatory damages on counts of defective design, failure to warn, negligence, negligent and fraudulent misrepresentation, breaches of implied and express warranties, survival and wrongful death. They are also seeking to toll the statutes of limitations because the links between the SNRI antidepressant class and congenital heart defects was not public knowledge until recently.

The Effexor heart defect lawsuit is Lara C. Covert, et al v. Pfizer Inc., et al., Case No. 13-cv-3344, originally filed in U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York.

If you had a child who suffered congenital heart defects because you took an antidepressant while pregnant, get educated. Visit the Zoloft & SSRI Antidepressant Birth Defect Class Action Lawsuit Investigation to learn more and get a free legal review. An Effexor birth defects lawyer will review your potential case and determine if you are eligible to file a complaint against the drug maker.