Ohio Woman Files Zoloft Birth Defect Lawsuit Against Pfizer

By TopClassActions | December 4, 2013

Category: Pharmaceuticals

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Ohio Woman Files Zoloft Birth Defect Lawsuit Against Pfizer

By John Curran

An Ohio woman says that her daughter was born with heart problems and limb defects due to unpublicized side effects of Zoloft. The lawsuit was filed directly into multidistrict litigation in U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania that has centralized dozens of Zoloft birth defect cases.Joann Jacobson says that she was taking Zoloft at the time of her pregnancy and would not have done so had the “product information warned of the significant risks of birth defects in a developing fetus if used while pregnant.” As she was unaware, she alleges that she continued to take the medication. Her daughter was born on Dec. 3, 1993 with numerous birth defects including cleft palate, atrial septal defects among others. She claims that the birth defects were caused by her use of Zoloft while pregnant.

According to the Zoloft lawsuit, Pfizer and subsidiary Greenstone “knew of the dangerous birth defects associated with the use of [the antidepressant] during pregnancy” due to a number of medical studies indicating a higher risk of these problems not just for Zoloft, but the entire SSRI antidepressant class. The companies failed to warn both physicians like Jacobson’s doctor as well as consumers of these risks, which led to numerous children being born with congenital defects, according to the Zoloft lawsuit.

Jacobson is seeking damages on her own and her daughter’s behalf on counts of failure to warn, design defect, negligence and negligent design, fraud and constructive fraud, among others.

Cases regarding Zoloft birth defects and Effexor birth defects have been centralized in U.S. District Court due to their numerosity and common questions of fact under the oversight of Judge Cynthia Rufe. Many similar complaints allege that Pfizer still has not updated the labeling regarding Zoloft side effects even though other drug makers have for similar antidepressants.

Studies have shown that women who take 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
Tetralogy of Fallot
Pulmonary Valve Stenosis

ASD/VSD (hole in heart)
Hypoplastic Left Heart or Right Heart Syndrome
Other heart malformation or heart defect

If you or someone you love took an antidepressant such as Celexa, Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft or Effexor and the 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. In order to learn more and obtain a free case review, visit the SSRI Antidepressant Birth Defect Class Action Lawsuit Investigation. Remember, the attorneys working this case do not paid until you do.

All medical device, dangerous drug and medical class action and lawsuit news updates are listed in the Drug and Medical Device section of Top Class Actions.

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