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Depressed mothers-to-be face a dilemma in the face of increasing number of Effexor lawsuits finding fault with the antidepressant for neonatal birth defects. Research evidences indicate potential threats posed by Effexor to the fetal health because of the pregnancy-linked side effects of the once-popular antidepressant. Even medical professionals commonly use the phrase “Effexor Baby” to denote emergency and intensive care required to save newborns with adverse health conditions. The first federal trial of Effexor birth defect lawsuit scheduled for November 2, 2015 is expected to delineate the legality of injury claims against the drug manufacturer.
Research Reports Cause Surge in Effexor Lawsuit
In 2006, the New England Journal of Medicine warned of serious respiratory birth defects, such as Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension, in babies exposed to Effexor side effects during pregnancy. Researchers discovered a potential six-fold rise in the risk when the drug is taken after the 20th week of pregnancy. A Harvard University study reported in 2008 termed the efficacy of SSRI and SNRI antidepressants as “clinically insignificant” compared to other alternatives and due to the high risk of birth defects in infants. The British Medical Journal linked Effexor pregnancy side effects to double risk of heart defects in newborn in 2009.
These research studies triggered filing of Effexor lawsuits claiming birth defects. A U.S. epidemiological study published in December 2012 encouraged more parents to join the litigation. Sponsored by the Center for Disease Control, the report studied Effexor side effects on 19,000 pregnant women for 10 years until 2017. Researchers found a “statistically significant increase” in 30 types of congenital deformities when Effexor antidepressant was consumed between a month prior to the pregnancy and three months into the pregnancy.
A comprehensive review of 181 research studies reported in 2013 also suggested association between birth defects and Effexor side effects during pregnancy. In 2011, the antidepressant made headlines in Canada with the death of two infants in British Columbia. Both babies had Effexor birth defects traced to the antidepressant intake by mothers during pregnancy. One of the children, a two-month old boy, died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome while sleeping and the autopsy report blamed Effexor side effects as possible cause.
Effexor Lawsuit: Plaintiffs Seek Product Liability
The first bellwether trial of federal Effexor lawsuits subject to the MDL centralization at a Pennsylvania district court is scheduled for November 2015. Plaintiffs claim that failure of Wyeth and Pfizer to inform about Effexor side effects for pregnant women exposed their children to fatal conditions, disability, deformities, and other health disorders. A Philadelphia mother, one of the plaintiffs, gave birth to a baby girl with a fused skull after taking the drug while she was pregnant. Another couple had a baby boy with hypoplastic heart, a condition that requires surgical intervention and heart transplant.
According to another Effexor lawsuit filed by an Arizona couple, their four-day-old boy had catheterization and valvuloplasty necessitated by the antidepressant birth defects. Doctors performed two open heart procedures, first at the age of six months, and multiple minor heart surgeries to keep him alive. Parents believe that their child could have been protected from birth defects, had the manufacturer been honest in disclosing the potential pregnancy side effects of the antidepressant.
Most Reported Effexor Birth Defects
- Persistent pulmonary hypertension or respiratory failure
- Heart defects, including hypoplastic heart, septal deformities, and valve defects
- Cranial deformities resulting in underdeveloped or fused brain and skull malformations
- Neural tube and vertebra deformities
- Delayed mental and physical development
- Physical deformities caused by malformations in different parts of the body
Parents and children who have suffered from injuries, losses, and disability due to Effexor side effects have the right to demand compensation for economic and non-economic damages from the drug manufacturer. To know about the process for filing Effexor lawsuit and pursue defective medical device product liability claims citing drug maker’s actions and inactions, please contact us or call on 1-800-632-1404.
Contact an Effexor Birth Defect Lawyer Today.
If your child was born with a birth defect and you or a loved one took Zoloft during the first trimester or pregnancy, please contact us immediately.
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