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The parents of a young boy born in Idaho have filed a lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline. They allege that the drug Zofran caused their child’s birth defects. Continue reading
prREACH
Oct 30, 2015 /prREACH/ -- The parents of a child born in Idaho have joined over 60 others who have filed a lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline. In each case, the lawsuits allege that exposure to anti-nausea drug Zofran while in utero caused a birth defect in an unborn child.
In this case, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho under case number 1:15-cv-00319-BLW, a couple’s son was diagnosed with craniofacial defects prior to his birth during his mother’s second trimester. As a result, he has had to undergo multiple surgeries to correct his cleft palate and ear defects. Despite his doctor's best attempts, he continues to have difficulty breathing out of one side of his nose and his parents have been informed that he will require additional surgery in the future. He has been left with scarring and disfigurement from both the defects and the surgeries performed.
His parents claim that his defects were directly caused by the drug Zofran. Zofran, which was first available for prescription in 1991 after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted manufacturer GSK approval for the drug, has been given to countless women across the country to treat their morning sickness. What was unknown to the public and the medical community was that the FDA never approved the drug or tested its safety for this purpose. The drug was only intended to be prescribed to patients experiencing nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy and radiation treatments or following anesthesia.
After “off-label” marketing Zofran to OB/Gyns across the country, GSK allegedly began to receive reports from doctors who noted that their patients had given birth to children with severe birth defects after being administered the drug. This did not deter the company from continuing their advertising campaign and targeting expectant mothers.
More than 60 lawsuits have since been filed against GSK, each alleging that an unborn child was harmed by Zofran. Birth defects listed in these complaints include atrial septal defect (ASD), ventricular septal defect (VSD), transposition of the greater vessels (TGV), clubfoot, cleft lip, cleft palate, and kidney defects. In nearly every instance, the child has had to undergo multiple surgeries to correct the defect.
The mother of the child in Idaho has said that if she had been aware of the risks associated with Zofran, she never would have consumed it during her pregnancy. Her family is seeking compensatory damages, equitable relief, and any other compensation the court may deem appropriate.