Paxil Birth Defects: Risks Explained, 2010 Update

What Is Infant Pulmonary Hypertension? Persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns (PPHN) is a life-threatening condition that typically involves severe respiratory failure in a newborn infant and requires immediate treatment. The condition has been linked to anti-depressant drugs taken during pregnancy. For a detailed explanation of this disease, click here.

Lieff Cabraser represents individuals across America who have been injured by dangerous and defective prescription drugs. Contact a personal injury lawyer today for help with serious SSRI injuries.

Our lawyers have years of experience successfully representing clients in personal injury cases. There is no charge or obligation for our review of your case. In death and serious injury cases, we will visit you where you live, at no cost, to discuss your legal rights and answer your questions. We have retained medical experts nationwide to assist our clients with their claims.

List of Antidepressant Drugs

The FDA lists the following antidepressant drugs known as SSRIs (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors) or as Combination Drugs containing an SSRI: Celexa (citalopram) Fluvoxamine Lexapro (escitalopram) Paxil (paroxetine) Prozac (fluoxetine) Symbax (olanzapine/fluoxetine) Zoloft (sertraline)

Paxil Birth Defect Lawsuits

In lawsuits filed against GlaxoSmithKline, parents whose children were born with birth defects allege that GlaxoSmithKline should have provided a stronger medical warning to patients and their physicians regarding the association between Paxil and birth defects. The Paxil lawsuits also allege that GlaxoSmithKline knew that taking Paxil during pregnancy poses serious health risks to the developing fetus.

According to a December 14, 2009 Bloomberg News report, GlaxoSmithKline agreed to pay nearly 200 families a total of $1 billion to resolve cases charging Paxil allegedly caused birth defects.

Paxil Side Effects: Drug Linked to Significant Risk of Birth Defects

The antidepressant drug, Paxil, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, has been linked to birth defects when prescribed to mothers while pregnant. Paxil, Paxil Oral Suspension, and Paxil-CR are trade names of the drug, "Paroxetine," which is a member of a class of drugs known as "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors" (SSRIs), used for the treatment of depression in adults.

2X Risk of Birth Defects From Paxil

Based on a study of over 3,500 pregnant women conducted by GlaxoSmithKline in 2005, the Food and Drug Administration warned doctors that Paxil was linked to twice as many birth defects compared to other antidepressants when taken during the first three months of pregnancy.

Defects in the study included:

• abdominal birth defects (omphalocele, an abnormality in which an infant's abdominal organs protrude from the navel)
• congenital defects (craniosynostosis, a disease that causes an abnormally shaped skull)
• club foot
• seizures
• neural tube defects (birth defects of the spinal chord and brain)
• heart defects
• persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN)

PPHN is a disorder in which the newborn's arteries to the lungs remain constricted after delivery, limiting the amount of blood flow to the lungs and therefore the amount of oxygen into the bloodstream. The FDA warned of the risk between Paxil and PPHN in July, 2006.

Contact a Paxil Personal Injury Attorney

If your child was born with pulmonary hypertension, heart injuries or other birth defects and you were prescribed Paxil or other antidepressant drugs while pregnant, please contact our law firm to learn about your rights. Lieff Cabraser represents persons across America injured by undisclosed and dangerous side effects from prescription drugs.

We will review your case at no charge or obligation. We handle all inquiries with the strictest confidentiality and sensitivity. Please click here to contact an attorney at Lieff Cabraser or call us toll-free at 1-800-541-7358 and ask to speak to attorney Heather Foster.

About Lieff Cabraser

Founded in 1972, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP is a sixty-plus attorney law firm with offices in San Francisco, New York and Nashville. For the last seven years, the National Law Journal has recognized Lieff Cabraser as one of the top plaintiffs' law firms in America.

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