Pfizer’s Zoloft Taken During Pregancy May Cause Birth Defects
December 15, 2011 Posted in: Mass TortsPregnant women who have children suffering birth defeats from unsafe pharmaceuticals need to have their child properly treated medically for all adverse conditions that developed and fairly compensated for any financial loss, national class action product liability attorney Keith T. Belt says
Pfizer’s Zoloft, as well as other SSRIs, has reportedly been linked to a potential risk of birth defects in infants born to women taking the drug during pregnancy. These Zoloft birth defects may include life-threatening heart defects, as well as abdominal wall and skull defects. Because the manufacturer failed to warn doctors and patients about the possible risk of Zoloft birth defects, mothers who took the drug during pregnancy and delivered children with birth defects may be able to file a claim to recover financial compensation.
Research has linked Zoloft (generic: sertraline) and other SSRI drugs to birth defects. A 2007 study found that infants exposed to Zoloft while in the womb were twice as likely to be born with certain Zoloft heart defects. Furthermore, the study revealed that infants born to Zoloft users were nearly six times more likely to develop omphalocele, a Zoloft birth defect which develops when the abdominal organs protrude through the belly button. Infants exposed to Zoloft during pregnancy were also nearly twice as likely to be born with craniosynostosis, a Zoloft birth defect which causes one or more sutures on the child’s head to close earlier than normal, according to the study.
Other SSRI and Zoloft birth defects which have allegedly been associated with the use of the drug may include:
- Club foot
- Limb defects
- Cleft lip and cleft palate
- Anal atresia (complete or partial closure of the anus)
- Cardiac defects
- Hypoplastic heart syndrome
One 2007 study also found that women who took an SSRI drug during pregnancy were more than twice as likely to deliver a child with anencephaly, which is a neural tube defect in which there is an absence of a large part of the brain and skull.
Many Zoloft birth defects may require surgery or other costly medical care. Those who elect to pursue legal recourse for their Zoloft birth defects, however, may be able to recover the cost of these medical procedures, as well as other damages.
About Belt Law Firm, P.C.
Belt Law Firm, P.C., has more than 70 years of combined experience, and has the resources and experience to take on class action lawsuits of any size and against any opponent. In the past, our class action lawyers have participated in several large-scale class and mass joiner actions and have secured millions of dollars for our clients. Class-action lawsuits are an efficient and calculated way to take on large, well-represented organizations, and also to help the maximum number of people. Class action lawsuits offer a number of advantages because they are able to aggregate a large number of what are often smaller individualized claims into one class action lawsuit. Our class action attorneys’ main mission is to bring powerful representation and justice to the individual or small business. In the process, class actions provide the necessary impetus to change laws for the better and to help thousands of people who have been injured, oppressed or have suffered injustice. We put our reputation on the line in every case.
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