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Lawsuit Alleges Mother’s Use of the SSRI Antidepressants, Paxil and Zoloft, While Pregnant Caused Plaintiffs’ Daughter to Suffer Heart Birth Defects, including Atrial and Ventricular Septal Defects, that Resulted in Her Death
PRWeb Monday, January 28, 2013
Columbus, OH (PRWEB) November 01, 2012
Wright & Schulte LLC, a leading harmful drug injury law firm, premier Ohio accident law firm, is representing victims of SSRi antidepressant side effects, and has filed a lawsuit on behalf of parents whose baby daughter died as a result of Paxil and Zoloft heart birth defects side effects, allegedly caused by her mother’s use of Paxil and Zoloft during pregnancy. The lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, names Pfizer, Inc. and GlaxoSmithKline LLC as Defendants (Case No. 2:12-cv-05962-CMR).
According to the complaint, the Plaintiffs’ child was born in Des Moines, Iowa, on February 6, 2005. In 2004, the child’s mother took Zoloft and Paxil for depression in accordance with the approved package insert. After starting these drugs, her mother discovered she was pregnant with the little girl. The baby was born with cardiac anomalies including atrial and ventricular septal defects. Tragically, the baby died on February 19, at just 13 days old, from a combination of congestive heart failure and atrial and ventricular septal defects.
According to the lawsuit, Zoloft and Paxil are both selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants, which are marketed primarily as treatments for depression. Both work by increasing the amounts of serotonin, a natural substance in the brain that helps maintain mental balance. The complaint alleges that both Zoloft and Paxil can cause serious birth defects when ingested by pregnant women. It further alleges that the Defendants knew or should have known about these adverse side effects but failed to adequately warn the public of the drugs’ association with life-threatening birth defects.
Among other things, the lawsuit points to animal studies conducted prior to the drugs’ approval, as well as numerous observational studies in humans conducted since, that have found that SSRI antidepressants like Zoloft and Paxil increase the risk of numerous birth defects when taken during pregnancy. The lawsuit further points out that in 2005, the Paxil label was updated to warn doctors and patients of cardiac malformations and other birth defects when Paxil was ingested during pregnancy. Yet, to this day, the Zoloft label bears no such warning.
Wright & Schulte LLC offers free lawsuit evaluations to victims of SSRI antidepressants, including Paxil and Zoloft. If your child suffered a heart malformation or some other birth defect that could be due to one of these drugs, please