Zofran Lawsuit Claims Drug Caused Child’s Heart Defect

November 10, 2015 – – Dozens of families have filed suit against GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of Zofran, a nausea drug that parents say causes birth defects. Since 2012, three sweeping studies have linked the “off label” morning sickness treatment to cleft palate and congenital heart defects. But the drug’s labeling still contains no warning of potential fetal harm, and an investigation by the US Justice Department uncovered evidence that GlaxoSmithKline has illegally promoted Zofran for unapproved use during pregnancy.

As these revelations came to public attention, the number of Zofran lawsuits grew quickly. In fact, the claims are now so numerous that many have been transferred to a Federal Court in Boston, Massachusetts, where trial preparations will be conducted in common. This announcement, that Zofran lawsuits are being consolidated, doesn’t prevent more families from filing suit themselves, according to the attorneys at Monheit Law. Led by experienced attorney Michael Monheit, Esq., the Pennsylvania-based firm has proved instrumental to many parents considering legal action.

In a new lawsuit, a mother from Portland, Maine says the Zofran she took during pregnancy caused her unborn child’s congenital heart defect. The mother filed her complaint on September 22, 2015 in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco Division. It was logged under the case number 3:15-cv-04322-EDL.

The mother says she was prescribed Zofran during the first trimester of a pregnancy more than a decade ago. While the drug has never been approved for use as a morning sickness treatment, it has seen widespread use as one. Soon after entering the US market, Zofran became America’s leading morning sickness drug, and its popularity hasn’t died down since. Plaintiff took the drug beginning “early in her first trimester” and continued taking it through her third trimester.

Her son, named E.D. in the complaint, was born in July of 2003, and diagnosed with a ventricular septal defect two days after delivery. The condition, often referred to as a “hole in the heart,” has become a common reference in Zofran lawsuits. Two major European studies found an association between the defect, which involves a hole in cardiac tissue, to prenatal Zofran exposure. In one paper, the drug was linked to a 2.3 times increase in the risk for ventricular septal defect.

While Plaintiff’s complaint makes no mention of the treatments E.D. has received, larger “hole in the heart” defects often require costly and invasive surgical procedures. Left untreated, the holes allow oxygen-rich blood to mix with oxygen-poor blood, literally starving a child’s body of the vital molecule.

Meanwhile, many parents may still be able to file Zofran birth defect lawsuits. The attorneys at Monheit Law continue to offer free consultations to parents who believe Zofran caused their children harm. To learn more, call 1-877-620-8411.

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Contact ZofranLegal.com:

Michael Monheit
1-877-620-8411
michael@monheit.com
1368 Barrowdale Road, Rydal, PA 19046

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