A California mother has filed a Zofran birth defect lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline claiming that the company’s antiemetic drug led her child to be born with a cleft lip and cleft palate. The new case joins dozens of similar Zofran lawsuits that both plaintiffs and GlaxoSmithKline are trying to have consolidated in a multidistrict litigation.
Zofran is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treatment of nausea and vomiting in patients who have undergone certain surgeries and therapies. The drug is also often prescribed off-label to pregnant women suffering from morning sickness. However, use of Zofran during pregnancy has been linked in studies to increased risk of cleft palate and other congenital defects in newborns. Plaintiffs in Zofran birth defect lawsuits claim that GlaxoSmithKline illegally promoted their drug for off-label uses, failing to warn pregnant women of the potential risks Zofran poses.
The mother behind the new Zofran lawsuit says she was prescribed Zofran in her first trimester to help with morning sickness, and continued taking it into her second trimester. When the woman gave birth in October 2012, her daughter was diagnosed with congenital defects, including a cleft palate and a cleft lip, which were said to be a result of the child’s prenatal exposure to Zofran. The Zofran lawsuit claims GlaxoSmithKline fraudulently marketed Zofran as an established and effective treatment for morning sickness, all the while ignoring mounting evidence connecting the drug to birth defects.
Speak to your doctor or health care provider before stopping or switching your medications. If you or someone you know gave birth to a child with a congenital defect after taking Zofran, you should contact the birth defect attorneys at Lopez McHugh today to receive a free legal consultation. We can help you determine whether a Zofran lawsuit is right for you.
