Zoloft Pregnancy Side Effects

On June 28, 2013, a new Zoloft side effects lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. A Florida woman has filed the lawsuit against Phizer, Zoloft’s manufacturer, alleging that side effects from the drug caused her baby to be born with congenital birth defects. The U.S. Judicial Panel recently consolidated the increasing number of Zoloft birth defects lawsuits into a multidistrict litigation (MDL). An MDL encourages the parties to settle all their disputes at once, and helps to eliminate conflicting rulings from multiple forums.

Zoloft heart defects lawsuit facts and allegations

On September 11, 2006, the plaintiff gave birth to her baby with severe heart defects. Among other heart defects, doctors diagnosed the baby with Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) and Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA), most commonly referred to as “holes in the heart.” While it is normal for there to be small openings between the heart’s left and right upper chambers and between certain blood vessels in the heart during fetal development, these openings did not close properly. If left untreated, the baby could experience strokes, heart failure and other serious heart defects. It is not uncommon for pregnant women to be prescribed sertraline, the chemical name for Zoloft. Yet as early as 1996, just five years after the FDA approved Zoloft, researchers discovered a link between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants and various congenital heart defects. A 2006 study in the New England Journal of Medicine and a 2009 Danish study confirmed these findings. The various lawsuits filed allege that Phizer has consistently refused to acknowledge the possibility of a link between Zoloft and heart defects. While there is a generic warning in the drug packaging that pregnant women “should not take Zoloft before consulting their physician”, it mentions nothing about the known link between Zoloft and birth defects. The plaintiff is seeking unspecified damages for medical bills, loss of consortium and punitive damages. She alleges that Phizer knowingly committed various wrongful acts, including failure to warn, design defect, negligence and fraud. Phizer continues to adamantly defend the safety of its SSRI antidepressant, Zoloft, even in the face of mounting lawsuits and adverse evidence.

Zoloft Lawsuit Attorneys

If you or someone you love has taken Zoloft during pregnancy and given birth to a baby with heart defects or congenital defects, we can help. The national Zoloft lawsuit attorneys at Phillips Law Firm represent injured patients across the United States. We are not afraid to fight the large pharmaceutical companies and medical corporations who continue to put profits before patient safety. If you are interested in learning more about your legal options, call us at 1-800-708-6000. Our Zoloft lawsuit attorneys are waiting to assist you 24/7, offering a free case evaluation. Remember our no fee promise. If we do not recover anything for you, you do not owe us an attorney fee.