The manufacturer of the SSRI drug Zoloft has filed a motion to merge all federal Zoloft lawsuits related to Zoloft birth defects. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals is requesting that the Zoloft lawsuits be combined and presented before one judge.

Zoloft Lawsuits Regarding Birth Defects

The number of plaintiffs that have filed a Zoloft lawsuit against the pharmaceutical company continues to grow. Women who have taken Zoloft while pregnant and believe that the SSRI drug caused serious and sometimes severe birth defects in their children make up the plaintiffs.

According to the manufacturers of Zoloft, there are close to 60 lawsuits regarding common claims of Zoloft. Pfizer claims that the Zoloft lawsuits should be combined in order to reduce duplicative discovery and to provide convenience to the parties, witnesses, and the court system.

Pfizer has requested that the Zoloft lawsuit cases be centralized close to their headquarters in New York. This location would allegedly provide a location central to the parties and easy access to witnesses, company records, etc. Pfizer mentioned the Northern and Southern Districts of Mississippi and the Northern District of Ohio as potential alternative locations.

What is Zoloft ?

Zoloft is a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) or antidepressant. Zoloft is used to treat depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anxiety, but the drug has been linked to severe birth defects when taken by a woman during the first three months of her pregnancy. Zoloft may increase the birth defect risks of Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN), as well as heart, lung, abdominal, cranial and/or facial defects.

By 2007, Zoloft became the most prescribed antidepressant in the U.S. At this time there were close to 30 million prescriptions.

Zoloft Birth Defects

Recently, medical research has shown a potential link to the use of Zoloft during pregnancy and severe or sometimes fatal health problems in babies. These side effects include

• Pulmonary hypertension in newborns (PPHN)
• Heart defects
• Lung defects
• Abdominal defects
• Cranial defects
• Other malformations

Some studies have suggested that the use of Zoloft during the first trimester of pregnancy can increase the risk of these birth defects.

Zoloft Lawsuit Attorney

For a free, confidential case evaluation, contact an experienced Zoloft Lawsuit Lawyer at Matthews and Associatesby dialing the toll-free number at (888) 923-7001 or by filling out our contact form.

by Matthews & Associates