New Lawsuits Highlight Zoloft Birth-Defect Claims

A bevy of lawsuits recently filed against the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is shining a spotlight on the connection between its popular antidepressant Zoloft and serious birth defects.

The eight plaintiffs filed their lawsuits at the St. Clair County Circuit Court in Port Huron, Mich. on Nov. 4, according to the Madison/St. Clair Record.

Pregnant Women Given No Warning Zoloft Lawsuit

As is a common theme in all Zoloft lawsuits, these plaintiffs claimed that Pfizer didn’t give pregnant mothers taking the antidepressant any warning that the drug could cause serious birth defects in their newborn infants.

On the contrary, the lawsuit contends that Pfizer instead marketed Zoloft to doctors claiming it was quite safe.

“Pfizer aggressively promoted Zoloft as an improvement over other antidepressant drugs on the ground that Zoloft was less likely to cause side effects if taken during pregnancy.

 

Babies Born With Various Zoloft Birth Defects

Sadly, the eight women involved in this latest Zoloft lawsuit gave birth to babies that suffered from various birth defects including neural tube defects; heart defects; omphalocele; gastroschisis; craniosynostosis; limb reduction cleft lip; anal atresia and club foot.

Another Severe Zoloft Side Effect

Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to add birth defects to the list of harmful side effects sometimes caused by Zoloft, generic name sertraline, it has issued a black-box warning for one of the drug’s other extremely harmful side effect: suicidal thoughts.

This most severe FDA warning, which must be displayed on the packaging of Zoloft, warns doctors that the medication has been clinically shown to increase the risk of suicide among children and teens that take it.

The FDA imposed this warning as a result of the findings of a recent study done by researchers at Columbia University. According to data gathered from thousands of clinical trials, the study concluded that about 2.3 percent of the teens and children prescribed this kind of antidepressant suffer from suicidal thoughts.

Because of this serious side effect, the FDA has also prepared a guide to be included with the dispensing of Zoloft that advises parents of children or teens taking the medication of warning signs that accompany suicidal thoughts.

When one considers all of the harmful side effects now being associated with the use of Zoloft, any prudent individual would expect lawsuits against Pfizer to mount.

 

Doesn’t Pay to Wait On Your Zoloft Lawsuit Settlement

At the same time, there is little doubt that this pharmaceutical giant will continue to use every financial and legal resource it has in its formidable arsenal to aggressively fight the multitude of new birth defect claims that are sure to be filed as a result of its top-selling antidepressant Zoloft.

That’s why it is paramount if you or a loved one had a baby born with a Zoloft-related birth defect as a result of taking the drug while pregnant, you should seriously consider seeking legal representation as soon as possible!

That’s because all lawsuits are subject to the statute of limitations – and time is running out! Doesn’t it make sense for you to get the opinion of an attorney specializing in Zoloft/ birth-defects litigation? After all, don’t you and your child have a lot to lose?

You can get a free, no-obligation consultation by simply completing the form on the right-hand side of this post and a legal professional will contact you promptly!