Zoloft Heart Defect Prompts Lawsuit

By Top Class Actions | June 28, 2012

Category: Pharmaceuticals

By Scott Hardy

Parents from Ohio filed the latest lawsuit alleging Zoloft caused their son to be born with multiple birth defects. Jody and David Gardner allege that Pfizer was aware of the risk of embryos developing heart defects if exposed to Zoloft but did nothing to warn antidepressant users or their doctors of the danger Zoloft poses to unborn children. In addition, the Gardners Zoloft birth defect lawsuit alleges that Pfizer knew that infants exposed to Zoloft in utero were not just in danger of heart defects, but also, a multitude of congenital birth defects. The Gardners lawsuit includes allegations that Pfizer ignored multiple studies which showed Zoloft increased the risk of severe birth defects in animal fetuses exposed to their blockbuster SSRI antidepressant drug and hid these details from prescribing doctors, the public and the FDA (Food and Drug Administration.) If your child was born with a birth defect it’s imperative you speak with an experienced Zoloft Birth Defect attorney.

Jody and David’s son was born on November 9th, 2005 with multiple Zoloft congenital heart defects along with other birth defects. The Zoloft congenital heart defects include atrial septal defect, ventricular septal defects, mitral valve prolapse and also the congenital birth defect omphalocele otherwise known as an umbilical hernia. Their son had to undergo open heart surgery at just nine days old in his doctors first attempt to fix his Zoloft heart defects. He also had to undergo intensive surgery to treat his Zoloft birth defects twice more before he was even six years old. Doctors expect him to undergo multiple surgeries in the future, including additional open heart surgeries, to fix the congital heart birth defects allegedly caused by Zoloft. The Gardners Zoloft birth defect lawsuit alleges that Zoloft and other SSRI antidepressants cause birth defects like Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN), Atrial Septal Defects (ASD), ventricular septal defects (VSD), abdominal birth defects or abdominal hernia (omphalocele), cranial birth defects (craniosynotosis), aorta coarctation, hypoplastic right or left heart syndrome, transposition of the great arteries (TGA), tetralogy of fallot (TOF)/cyanosis, spina bifida, Autism Spectrum Disorder and club feet.

The birth defects listed above may be caused by many different medications (not just SSRI antidepressant drugs like Zoloft and Paxil) if taken while pregnant and only an attorney and a doctor can determine if one of the prescribed medications taken while pregnant may be responsible for birth defects like the Gardners baby experienced. The Garnders lawsuit includes a study by Pfizer that took place before Zoloft was approved by the FDA in 1991. Pfizer conducted animal trials which found that Zoloft caused severe side effects in animal fetuses. Even though Pfizer knew of the risk of birth defects the Gardners birth defect lawsuit alleges that Pfizer did nothing to warn doctors and patients of the risks inherent in taking Zoloft while pregnant. Jody states in her Zoloft birth defect lawsuit that if she had been informed that taking Zoloft while pregnant could result in her child developing life altering birth defects she would have abstained from the antidepressant.

The Gardners Zoloft birth defect lawsuit was not filed as a Zoloft birth defect class action lawsuit, a Zoloft heart defect class action lawsuit or as part of the Zoloft birth defect lawsuit multidistrict litigation (MDL.) The Zoloft birth defect lawsuit MDL puts all of the lawsuits filed in its court under the purview of one judge and a panel of plaintiff and defense attorneys. This can speed up the litigation process and allow hundreds, if not thousands, of Zoloft birth defect lawsuits to be litigated more efficiently which may lead to a faster Zoloft birth defect lawsuit settlement. Some Zoloft users instead opted to file a Zoloft birth defect class action lawsuit which is currently being litigated. A Zoloft heart defect class action lawsuit may not be in the best interest of everyone. Any Zoloft birth defect class action lawsuit settlement could result in smaller payouts for victims of Zoloft birth defects. It’s important that if your child was born with a birth defect you speak with a qualified SSRI birth defect attorney to determine what is best for you. This may be filing an individual Zoloft lawsuit against Pfizer, joining the Zoloft birth defect lawsuit MDL or filing a Zoloft birth defect class action lawsuit. If your baby was born with a birth defect and you were taking Zoloft, another antidepressant SSRI drug like Paxil, or any another SSRI drug you should speak with an experienced Zoloft Birth Defect attorney.

In the Gardners case they are seeking damages in excess of $75,000. $75,000 is just a drop in the bucket in terms of their possible medical expenses as open heart surgery and care for an infant can easily run $100,000 or more. Once you add up the surgeries to treat their infant son’s Zoloft birth defects you could expect to see hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses, time away from work and other financial challenges. Recent birth defect settlements averaged more than $1 million per case for similar birth defects filed against another large drug manufacturer. There’s no telling if the Gardners Zoloft birth defect lawsuit will settle and how much they would be awarded if that happens but one thing they don’t have to worry about if paying their attorney. If they don’t win, their attorney doesn’t get paid. How’s that for motivation? The Zoloft birth defect law firm is fighting for what they believe is a just cause and their paycheck.

If you would like more information about filing a Zoloft birth defect class action lawsuit, you would like to contact a Zoloft birth defect attorney, or would like to file an individual Zoloft birth defect lawsuit just go to the Zoloft Birth Defect Class Action Lawsuit Investigation page. You can submit your information to attorneys who specialize in Zoloft related birth defect lawsuits, and other SSRI antidepressant drug birth defect lawsuits, that are actively investigating all claims regarding birth defects like Craniosynostosis, Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN), Atrial Septal Defects (ASD), ventricular septal defects (VSD), abdominal birth defects (omphalocele), cranial birth defects (craniosynotosis), aorta coarctation, hypoplastic right or left heart syndrome, transposition of the great arteries (TGA), tetralogy of fallot (TOF), spina bifida, Autism, club feet and other problems which may be attributed to Zoloft or another anti-depressant (SSRI) drug taken while pregnant. It is Pfizer’s responsibility to properly warn users of their drugs of the possibility of severe birth defects and if you feel you were not warned of the risk of birth defects an attorney may be able to help. Contact a Zoloft birth defect attorney now.

Updated June 28th, 2012

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