Effexor Lawsuit | Effexor Birth Defect Injuries

Effexor Lawsuit

FREE CASE EVALUATION: 1-800-632-1404

Our team of attorneys are currently reviewing potential Effexor® lawsuits involving women who took these drugs during the first trimester of pregnancy and whose children suffered adverse side effects, including heart defects and cleft lip/palate, among with others.

Our team of attorneys is currently reviewing potential Effexor claims involving females who were prescribed the anti-depressant medication Effexor and had a child born with a birth defect. Effexor, manufactured by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (now Pfizer, Inc.) and generically known as Venlafaxine, is a prescription antidepressant drug used to treat depression, anxiety and other mood disorders in adults. Effexor is part of a class of oral drugs called selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), meaning that the drug helps to maintain imbalances between two naturally occurring chemicals in the brain called norepinephrine and serotonin. Effexor is also prescribed under the name Effexor XR®, extended release capsules generically known as Venlafaxine Hydrochloride.

Possible Birth Defects From Effexor

Birth defects that may be associated with the use of Effexor include

  • Anal atresia (complete or partial closure of the anus)
  • Cleft lip
  • Cleft palate
  • Club foot
  • Craniosynostosis (abnormally shaped skull)
  • Congenital heart defects, atrial or ventricular septal defects (hole in heart)
  • Infant omphalocele (abdominal wall defects)
  • Neural-tube defects

More Information on Effexor Injuries

Effexor has been the subject of international studies regarding antidepressants and their potential link to birth defects in newborns. Although it was approved by the FDA in 1993, there have been several FDA warnings regarding Effexor since 2005. An FDA Public Advisory Warning issued in July 2005 included the potential risk of suicide in people taking Effexor and also indicated that the drug was not approved for use in children. A previous black box warning issued by the FDA in October 2004 required that all antidepressant drugs be labeled with the following language: “Antidepressants increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behavior (suicidality) in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) and other psychiatric disorders. Anyone considering the use of Effexor or any other antidepressant in a child or adolescent must balance this risk with the clinical need.”

Citing a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, Health Canada also issued a strong warning in March 2006 to pregnant women or women who were trying to become pregnant that antidepressant drugs similar to Effexor could potentially pose serious risks to unborn or even nursing babies.

A May 2010 study conducted by scientists at the University of Montreal and published online in the Canadian Medical Association Journal suggests that women who take antidepressants like Effexor during the first trimester of pregnancy are 68 percent more likely to suffer a miscarriage than women who do not take antidepressants and that Effexor is among the antidepressants which may carry the highest risk.

In another 2010 study published in the March issue of Pediatrics, researchers found a potential link between exposure to antidepressants, one of which was Effexor, in late pregnancy and a delay in normal motor development skills at six and 19 months of age. The same researchers, in a 2009 study published by British Medical Journal, found that pregnant women taking certain antidepressants similar to Effexor during the first trimester had an increased risk of giving birth to babies having various heart defects.

For More Information On an Effexor Lawsuit

CALL US TOLL FREE: (800) 632-1404

EMAIL: click here

FILL OUT THIS FORM:

    Your Name (required)

    Your Email (required)

    Your Telephone Number

    What year was your child born?

    Where do you live (state)?

    NOTE: Our team of attorneys will review potential cases for all fifty states, including Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin and Wyoming.