The Case Against Zofran Manufacturer May Be Worse Than We Thought
Zofran, a popular anti-nausea drug approved for use for cancer patients, has been linked to a number of different birth defects. Around the country families have been bringing lawsuits against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the manufacturer of the drug, for marketing Zofran to pregnant women with morning sickness despite the drug never having been tested for its effects on pregnancy.
Now some new lawsuits are alleging that GSK actually did know about the side effects of Zofran on pregnant women and their fetuses and failed to warn doctors and patients about it. In fact, some suits are alleging that GSK knew about the dangers for the last 20 years and still said nothing. As reported by the Legal Examiner, “GlaxoSmithKline has received at least 200 reports of ‘birth defects associated with Zofran use during pregnancy.’ But rather than submit these reports to the FDA… GlaxoSmithKline intentionally avoided conducting studies to determine Zofran’s effects in pregnant women [and] downplayed the results of studies conducted on pregnant animals in the late 1980s,” thus enabling them to keep their profit margin high. The article goes on to say that the trials “revealed clinical signs of toxicity, premature births, intrauterine fetal deaths and […] incomplete bone growth.”
If these accusations are true, then GSK has hidden the results of clinical trials and lied to growing families about their product for more than two decades. Because the data does not tell us how many of the people who were prescribed Zofran or its generic form ondansetron since the drug became available in 1991, it is possible that thousands of children suffered birth injuries.
Which birth defects are most commonly associated with Zofran?
If you took Zofran or its generic counterpart, and your child suffered a birth defect of any kind, you may be able to bring a lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline. Some of the more commonly-associated birth defects include:
- Atrial septal defects and ventricular septal defects, which are gaps in the walls between the two upper and lower chambers of the heart
- Cleft palate
- Club foot
- Craniosynostosis
- Jaundice
- Musculoskeletal problems
- Vision problems
The number of lawsuits being brought against GSK and Zofran increase every day as more and more people discover the link between the drug and the birth injuries of their children. If you are one of these families, you are not alone in your fight for justice.
To find out more about Zofran and how we can help, we invite you to contact Plaxen Adler Muncy, P.A. As one of Maryland’s premier personal injury and medical malpractice law firms, we have the resources, the experience, and the skills to handle challenging birth injury litigation. We promise to fight for you.
Learn more about the case against Zofran:
Anti-Nausea Drug Zofran at the Heart of Birth Injury Lawsuits Around the Country
Bruce Plaxen was honored as the 2009 Maryland Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Maryland Association for Justice. For more information on his legal background, please visit his attorney bio.