Prescription Medication May Cause Birth Defects
Certain drugs taken by pregnant women are known to increase the danger of birth defects. In a closely watched case, a Philadelphia jury found that the anti-anxiety/anti-depressant drug Paxil, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, and taken by a pregnant woman, was the cause of her newborn’s heart defects. The baby has undergone several surgeries and will need more surgery as he gets older. The jury awarded the baby’s family $2.5 million to compensate for medical expenses and other injuries. The family asked for only $1.2 million.
GlaxoSmithKline is currently defending approximately 600 Paxil birth defects cases. In the Philadelphia case, the baby’s family argued that the manufacturer initially ignored Food & Drug Administration requests that it warn doctors of studies showing a potential of increased birth defects, specifically to the heart, and continued to sell the drug without any such warnings. At trial, lawyers for the baby’s family presented e-mails and memos showing that the company knew that Paxil had a link to birth defects. Some evidence suggested that GlaxoSmithKline even promoted Paxil to pregnant women even after they suspected a risk. Indeed, the jury found that GlaxoSmithKline negligently failed to warn the doctor treating the newborn’s mother.
GlaxoSmithKline plans to appeal the verdict.
This case is yet another example of the pharmaceutical industry putting profits ahead of safety. Sources report that Paxil sales totaled $849 million last year. According to this jury, a simple warning label to doctors could have prevented this baby’s heart defect. But had GlaxoSmithKline put the warning label on sooner, how many drug sales would it have lost?
