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Zofran Blamed For Child’s Heart Birth Defect In Latest Lawsuit

April 15, 2015 – – The parents of a child from California have filed the fourth lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) where they allege that their son’s severe heart birth defect was caused by Zofran, a drug manufactured by GSK and FDA approved for treating nausea of cancer and post-operative patients. The case has been filed in the Superior Court for the State of California in San Francisco (CGC-15-544524) and the family is represented by Ms. Elizabeth Graham, Esq., a sponsoring member of ZofranLegal.com.

“Our colleague Ms. Graham is co-counsel to the family in this lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline,” explains Michael Monheit, Esq. from ZofranLegal.com. “The plaintiff was prescribed Zofran during the first trimester of her pregnancy with B.G., and she believes this is what contributed to him developing a significant heart birth defect.”

B.G., was born in 2009, and he was diagnosed with bicuspid aortic stenosis, also known as bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). During early pregnancy, the plaintiff suffered from severe morning sickness and was prescribed Zofran to deal with this. The family was not aware of any relationship between Zofran and birth defects at the time. Additionally, there is no family history of birth defects. The complaint states that had the plaintiff known of the potential dangers of taking Zofran, she would not have accepted the prescription.

Zofran is a drug used to treat nausea and vomiting and its indication is approved by the FDA for people who have come out of surgery, or who are going through chemotherapy. Since 1991, Zofran has been prescribed “off-label” by OB-GYNs and medical professionals to treat morning sickness and its most severe form, hyperemesis gravidarum, during pregnancy. Recent epidemiological studies have suggested a link between Zofran and child birth defects of the heart, kidneys, and mouth (cleft palate). To read more about Zofran and the potential dangers of the drug, click here.

Through the complaint, the family is seeking compensation for the medical expenses they have incurred, as well as those they will continue to incur. Due to B.G.’s heart defect, he will require various surgeries in order to repair the aortic valve. Additionally, they are seeking compensation for the severe mental distress they have had to suffer since B.G.’s birth.

BAV is a deformity of the aortic valve. Essentially, during the first trimester of pregnancy, two valves fuse together, creating a bicupsid valve where there should be a triscupid valve. In most cases, patients are diagnosed following a simple test that determines if there is a heart murmur. The stenosis element of the defect means that calcium starts to accumulate around the leaflets of the heart. As a result, they stiffen and are unable to function properly. This can, in extreme cases, lead to congestive heart failure. Sometimes, the condition is not diagnosed until adolescence, when this build up starts to become more prevalent. In the most severe cases, BAV requires immediate heart surgery.

This is one of multiple cases that are currently pending against GSK for their drug Zofran. Each case is unique, as each individual patient has different defects and different consequences, making it impossible to accurately predict how the cases will go.

CONTACT DETAILS:
ZofranLegal.com
Michael Monheit – 1-877-620-8411 – michael@monheit.com
1368 Barrowdale Road
Rydal, PA 19046

ReleaseID: 60000593

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