Zoloft Birth Defects Legal News Articles & Interviews

Washington, DC Pfizer may have been warned by a company drug safety official about a potential link between the antidepressant drug Zoloft and birth defects and recommended changes to the medication’s safety warning. Pfizer is currently facing over 1,000 Zoloft birth defect lawsuits, which allege the medication is responsible for newborn abnormalities including congenital heart defects.

Philadelphia, PA It appears as if Zoloft birth defect litigation is about to get a whole lot more interesting, now that a state judge in a Zoloft birth defects lawsuit has made the decision to allow testimony by an expert witness the defense was trying to quash. What makes the issue more compelling is that the decision by Judge Mark I. Bernstein at the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Eastern District of Pennsylvania comes ahead of a similar decision currently being weighed by a federal judge in multidistrict litigation.

Philadelphia, PA Hearings have begun in Zoloft birth defects lawsuits combined for multidistrict litigation. The lawsuits allege babies suffered Zoloft birth defects after being exposed to the antidepressant prior to birth. One of the major questions being asked at the hearings is whether or not the link between Zoloft and birth defects is the same as with other antidepressants in the same class.

Boston, MA Recent studies on Zoloft birth defects have yielded conflicting results, with one study finding no significant association between the use of the antidepressant and the development of Zoloft side effects in infants. A different study, however, suggests that infants exposed to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) prior to birth could be at risk for a Zoloft birth defect.

Rochester, NY A couple from Rochester, New York, were devastated when their infant son was born with Zoloft birth defects. At least, that’s the allegation in a Zoloft birth defects lawsuit filed earlier this spring in New York state court.

Baton Rouge, LA If any class of drugs has a great deal of confusion regarding the risks versus benefits, the class that likely has the most is the SSRI antidepressant class, including the drug Zoloft. The risk of Zoloft side effects, which like the rest of the SSRI class is reported to include a risk of Zoloft birth defects, may vary depending on which study has most recently been published. A recent study suggests a risk of autism linked to the use of SSRI medications while pregnant. Meanwhile, researchers who argue that the risk of SSRI side effects outweighs the benefits have defended their position.

New York, NY As of April 2013, approximately 330 Zoloft birth defects lawsuits against Pfizer are pending in the federal multidistrict litigation (MDL) established in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The first Zoloft bellwether trials are set to begin in 2014.

Miami, FL More lawsuits have been filed against Pfizer, alleging Zoloft birth defects affected infants born with congenital birth defects and other serious health problems. The Zoloft birth defects lawsuits claim pregnant mothers took the antidepressant while pregnant, but doing so exposed their unborn babies to Zoloft defects, which reportedly include ventricular septal defect, craniosynostosis and cleft palate.

New York, NY In addition to the risk of Zoloft birth defects, Zoloft side effects may include an increased risk of brain bleeds, according to a recent study. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, a class of antidepressant that includes Zoloft) have already been linked to an increased risk of birth defects. Infants exposed to Zoloft prior to birth could be at risk of Zoloft heart defects and other health problems.