Zoloft Drugmaker Blamed for Child Death

A New York couple has filed a lawsuit against Zoloft drug maker Pfizer, claiming that the antidepressant Zoloft is responsible for the birth defects experienced by their deceased son. The lawsuit was filed on August 17, 2012, in the United States’ District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, where the current Zoloft multidistrict litigation case is taking place. Jessica and Shawn Coon are claiming that Zoloft was responsible for the side effects experienced by their child, as Jessica took the medication during her pregnancy; they claim that they were not adequately informed of potential side effects associated with the medication at the time.

Negligence claimed by couple

The plaintiffs claim that the deceased minor, known as J.A.C., was born with congenital heart defects caused by birth defects after Zoloft use. He passed away just one month after he was born at the West Chester Medical Center in New York. They claim that because of Pfizer’s negligence and misrepresentation, Jessica Coon continued to take the SSRI drug Zoloft while she was pregnant with her child, which resulted in the birth defects he suffered and in his subsequent death.

The lawsuit claims that Pfizer and its subsidiaries, including Greenstone LLC, did not demonstrate reasonable care in the production, marketing, and distribution of their antidepressant, which caused a number of patients to suffer from birth defects as a result of the drug’s use by pregnant mothers. A number of studies have shown that Zoloft can be linked to an increased risk in birth defects, including PPHN and congenital heart disorders, which can be fatal in serious cases.

Numerous birth defects associated with antidepressant

The growing number of plaintiffs who have chosen to file a birth defects lawsuit related to Zoloft indicates the serious concern about birth defects related to the drug. Studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that infants born to women taking SSRI medications such as Zoloft were 50 percent more likely to develop heart defects and other serious heart problems.

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