Drugs That Cause Birth Defects
There are several types of antidepressant drugs that have been linked to birth defects when pregnant women take them. There is ongoing litigation surrounding these drugs as the availability of SSRIs and SNRIs has steadily increased in recent years.
Read more about the antidepressants that are linked to birth injuries.
Below is a list of the types of antidepressant drugs included in the January 2014 edition of Trial Magazine that have been linked to birth defects.
Paxil
The link between antidepressant drugs and birth injuries came through in 2005 when GlaxoSmithKline issued a letter to physicians advising them about the risk of birth defects for pregnant women using the drug. The study highlighted the finding that women on Paxil during their first trimester were twice as likely to have a child with a birth injury that those women using other antidepressants.
The injuries linked to Paxil include cardiovascular malformations and ventricular septal defects. There have been over 600 lawsuits related to Paxil and birth injuries that have resulted in hundreds of settlements and a jury verdict.
Zoloft
There are hundreds of plaintiffs in a MDL pending in Pennsylvania federal court that allege Pfizer marketed Zoloft to pregnant women without warning them of the risks associated with the drug. The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) claimed that Zoloft is a culprit for septic defects, a specific type of congenital heart injury that occurs in the walls of the chambers of the heart.
Effexor and Celexa/Lexapro
The Birth Defects Research reports that a 10-year study shows a link between certain heart defects and the use of Effexor during the first trimester. There have been cases filed against Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Pfizer regarding this link to birth defects.
A second article has linked persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn to SSRI drugs, including Celexa and its twin drug, Lexapro.
Child Born with Injuries from Antidepressant Drugs
If you took one of the above drugs while pregnant without being warned of the risks that it put your unborn child in, and they were then born with birth defects or injuries, you should contact an attorney to fight for justice.
It is unacceptable that these pharmaceutical drug companies put profits over the health and safety of consumers.
Our law office has made it a point to spread awareness of the danger associated with these drugs and to help those who have suffered from using them.
To speak to one of the attorneys at our law office about the birth injuries associated with the above SSRIs and SNRIs, call 800.637.8170. We would be happy to help you learn about the legal options you have.
