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Zoloft may cause birth defects when a woman takes it during pregnancy. If you or a loved one has given birth to a child with a birth defect and the mother took Zoloft during pregnancy, you may be entitled to financial compensation. The same is true for drugs Wellbutrin and Zyban.
Zoloft is prescribed for many purposes. Sertraline is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (bothersome thoughts that won’t go away and the need to perform certain actions over and over), panic attacks (sudden, unexpected attacks of extreme fear and worry about these attacks), posttraumatic stress disorder and others. Regardless of the reason of prescription, women who take this drug may experience a greater than average risk of infant child birth defects, including but not limited to heart defects, cleft palate, cleft lip, skeletal deformations and more. If your child experienced such a horrific side effect, please call our team of Zoloft lawyers today for a free case evaluation on how we can help.
Do I Have a Zoloft Lawsuit?
Zoloft Birth Defect: Do I Have A Lawsuit?
Marisol Smith, a Texas woman, initiated a wrongful death lawsuit against Pfizer and Greenstone LLC on July 17, 2013, holding antidepressant drug Zoloft responsible for the death of her infant son two years ago. According to the Zoloft lawsuit filed in a Philadelphia federal court, the plaintiff took Sertraline, a generic version of Zoloft, until she discontinued it in February 2011 after learning about her pregnancy. She resumed the antidepressant after a gap of two months and continued until her son was born in June 2011 with a number of birth deformities, including atrial septal defect and respiratory distress syndrome. The infant was placed on ventilator and underwent blood transfusion necessitated by pulmonary and intraventricular bleedings until his death five days later.
The Zoloft lawsuit claims that both Zoloft producer Pfizer and generic version manufacturer Greenstone failed in their duty to inform the public about potential birth defect side effects the antidepressant could have for pregnant women or those in their childbearing age. The plaintiff also alleges that the manufacturer was aware of Zoloft birth defect problems earlier than reported, but the drug was marketed without any warning to highlight hazards linked to it. Zoloft was promoted as safe without any testing done for side effects on pregnant women.
Zoloft Lawsuit: Common Side Effect Injuries
Mrs Smith’s Zoloft lawsuit accuses the manufacturers of negligence, misrepresentation, fraud, and breach of warranty and seeks damages for her suffering on the ground of strict liability. Zoloft, a Sertraline-based selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, was among the most prescribed antidepressant in the last decade. However, a spate of studies and reports published in the last few years have led to a surge in Zoloft lawsuits citing wrongful death and deformities in children born to women who took the drug.
The most reported Zoloft birth defect injuries include
- fatal deformities or malformations leading to death
- heart valve defect
- brain deformities
- neurological disorder and behavioral syndrome
- underdeveloped vertebra
- spina bifida
- intraventricular bleeding
- pulmonary embolism
- underdeveloped and malformed skull
- cranial defects
- neural tube defects
- cleft palates
- autism
Zoloft Side Effects for Adults
Adults taking Zoloft are likely to suffer from post-surgery bleeding, brain hemorrhage, and surgical complications. The SSRI antidepressant has also been linked to sexual dysfunction in male users and vaginal swelling in females. Zoloft discontinuation results in withdrawal syndrome and suicidal tendency. According to a 2011 research report, the antidepressant enhances the risk of heart attack and stroke in men. It causes atherosclerosis, a key factor contributing to such a risk. Zoloft side effects may also manifest in respiratory arrest, infertility, brain neuron death, and dyskinesia.
Zoloft Lawsuit
Parents of children born with birth defects or those born with congenital deformities due to Zoloft side effects have the right to seek punitive damages and other compensation from the drug manufactures for their suffering. Over 500 federal Zoloft lawsuits have been centralized in the court of Judge Cynthia Rufe of Pennsylvania. About 100 Zoloft birth defect litigations have been filed in state courts of New York, West Virginia, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, and other states. A group of St. Louis women has sought class action status to their Zoloft lawsuit. The first federal trial is expected to begin in mid-October 2014 while new litigants continue to approach courts claiming product liability, misrepresentation, fraud, and strict liability.
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