Pennsylvania, PAGlaxoSmithKline, the pharmaceutical company that makes the antidepressant Paxil, has agreed to settle nearly 200 cases brought by plaintiffs who allege that their use of the drug during pregnancy caused their children to be born with birth defects. The cases, all scheduled to go to trial, have been settled pre-trial for undisclosed sums.
The majority of cases being settled involve cardiac defects. Court papers concerning one of the plaintiffs, Lyam Kilker, reportedly state that he was born with three congenital heart defects: a defect between the upper two chambers of his heart, a defect between the lower two chambers of his heart and a defect that left a hole in the wall of his heart that separates the two pumping chambers, preventing the heart's aorta from forming a complete "tube."
The Kilker case is among the 200 being settled. One of the lawyers for the Paxil pregnancy mass tort program estimates there may be up to 100 more cases that have been settled, including cases that are not yet filed.