Zofran Defective Drug & Birth Defects Attorney
West Palm Beach and Palm Beach County
Prescription medication Zofran (Ondansetron), manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), is approved for use to treat nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy and surgery patients.
Zofran is often marketed and prescribed for off-label use (prescription drug prescribed for uses other than what the FDA approved) by pregnant women with cases of severe morning sickness and hyperemesis gravidarum; however, Zofran has been linked to an increase of causing birth defects.
Court documents have shown that GlaxoSmithKline knew as early as 1992 that Zofran presented “unreasonable risk of harm” to developing babies because the drug passes through the human placenta. Despite this knowledge, the drugmaker continued to market the drug to pregnant women, putting profits over consumer safety.
Birth Defects Linked to Zofran
In January 2012, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published a report that showed a link between women who took Zofran during their first trimester and serious birth defects. According to studies, women who take Zofran while pregnant are 30% more likely to deliver a child with a birth defect. Side effects in babies can include:
- Cleft lip
- Cleft palate
- Heart defects, including:
- Atrial septal defect (ASD) (hole in the heart)
- Ventricular septal defects (VSD) (hole between two lower chambers of the heart)
- Heart murmur
- Kidney malformation or missing kidney
- Deformed scull
- Limb defect
- Fetal growth restrictions
- Miscarriage (fetal death)
The attorneys at Murray Guari are investigating potential lawsuits on behalf of mothers who were prescribed the anti-nausea medication Zofran (ondansetron) during their first trimester of pregnancy and delivered children with birth defects.
If you were taking an Zofran medication while pregnant and your child was born with any of the mentioned birth defects and would like to learn more about your legal rights, please call our Defective Drug Lawyers or contact us here for a free consultation.
Please note that in some matters, we may co-counsel or refer the case to another lawyer or law firm.