Zoloft Birth Defects and Autism
Zoloft Class Action Lawsuit – Heart Birth Defects – Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Many people believe that there are class action lawsuits being filed against the maker of theantidepressant Zoloft for causing heart defects in babies, the vast majority of cases are being filed as individual claims. The same is true for lawsuits brought on behalf of babies born with the birth defect craniosynostosis and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) which is also believed to be caused by Zoloft use.
A true class action involves a relatively few number of people filing suit as representatives of the “class” of perhaps thousands or millions of people who share their injuries. When the case is settled, one sum of money is divided up among the class members without regard to their individual damages.
We believe that filing individual claims is the better course of action for babies that have developed serious heart defects after their pregnant mothers used Zoloft. Individual claims can be a much better way to obtain the maximum compensation for severely injured people As such, we are not pursuing a class action for our clients. Instead, we are taking these cases on an individual basis.
If you took the antidepressant drug Zoloft while pregnant and your baby was born with heart defects, you should immediately seek the advice of a board certified personal injury lawyer to determine if you and your child are entitled to compensation. If you have thought about joining aZoloft class action lawsuit, you should contact us to discuss filing an individual claim rather than participating in a Zoloft class action lawsuit.
Zoloft (generic name sertraline) is one of the SSRI antidepressant drugs that have been thought to cause birth defects and has been the subject of a FDA warning. SSRIs such as Zoloft are a group of drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. These heart defects caused by Zoloft may include atrial septal defects, ventricular septal defects, Tetralogy of fallot, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, transposition of the great arteries (TGA or TOGA), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR), double outlet right ventricle (DORV), and coarctation of the aorta (CoA)
There is also growing evidence that Zoloft and other SSRIs cause the birth defect craniosynostosis and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) when taken by their mothers.
What is Zoloft?
Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride) is manufactured by the drug giant Pfizer. It is marketed as an antidepressant, antipanic, antiobsessional agent.
What Does Zoloft Treat?
Zoloft is generally used to treat panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (ODCD) and depression. Zoloft has been prescribed to pregnant women to treat these symptoms during their pregnancy. However, pregnant women were never made aware of the possibility that Zoloft use might result in heart-related birth defects in their babies.
What are the Side-effects of Zoloft?
In addition to the risk to a baby’s heart, side-effects of Zoloft include suicidal ideation and withdrawal symptoms. The risk to the fetus is so great that Pfizer (the manufacturer of Zoloft) has warned doctors, “The safety of Zoloft during pregnancy and lactation has not been established and therefore, it should not be used in women of childbearing potential or nursing mothers, unless, in the opinion of the physician, the potential benefits to the patient outweigh the possible hazards to the fetus.” However, many pregnant women were prescribed Zoloft and their babies developed serious heart defects that will require dangerous surgery to correct.
Zoloft is also in the group of antidepressant drugs known as Selective Sarotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) which have been shown to greatly increase the risk that a baby will have persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) when taken by their pregnant mother. Since these concerns were raised, there have been additional studies that indicate Zoloft and other SSRI antidepressants might be responsible for the serious heart defects described above.
Some of the heart defects believed to have been caused by Zoloft may include atrial septal defects, ventricular septal defects, Tetralogy of fallot, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, transposition of the great arteries (TGA or TOGA), patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), total anomalous pulmonary venous return (TAPVR), double outlet right ventricle (DORV), and coarctation of the aorta (CoA)
If your took Zoloft or any antidepressant while pregnant and your baby was born with any birth defect, you should contact a board certified personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
If you have a Zoloft claim on behalf of your baby, contact us today for a free consultation.
