Anti-Nausea Drug Zofran lawsuits continue to increase

From the Zofran Lawsuit guide team:

Zofran is a popular anti-nausea drug that’s approved for use by cancer patients and those undergoing surgery. Yet, the medication, never intended for pregnant women, is being promoted for off-label use for morning sickness, which, according to more than 30 Zofran lawsuits filed by distraught parents, caused their babies to develop severe birth defects.

In one of the latest Zofran lawsuits filed against GlaxoSmithKline, the makers of Zofran, a mother from Alabama claims that her baby son developed not only kidney defects, but a severe congenital heart defect after she took the medication while pregnant.

The plaintiff, who had never taken Zofran before, was prescribed the medication for off-label use for morning sickness during her first trimester of pregnancy. As her morning sickness continued, her physician ordered that she continue to take Zofran throughout the duration of her pregnancy.

During what was intended to be a normal, routine ultrasound, the plaintiff’s unborn son was diagnosed with kidney defects and Hyposplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLS). HLS is a rare but serious congenital heart which must be treated by invasive surgery.

According to court documents, the plaintiff alleges that is was the continuous exposure to Zofran that that led to her infant son’s life-threatening conditions. She took Zofran during the critical point of the infant’s development, when the heart and kidney tissues were beginning to form.

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Although HLHS can be treated, it’s a condition that will never be cured.

The infant may need to undergo a series of treatment sessions throughout his life and will more than likely live with long-term medical complications.

In some instances, children with HLHS may need a complete heart transplant. In other instances, surgeons may need to perform open heart surgery to get the damaged part of the heart working again and to ensure blood is flowing properly. The plaintiff’s son is still alive today, but in many cases, babies born with HLHS die within hours to days after birth.

Unfortunately, the plaintiff’s Zofran lawsuit is not the only incident in which babies were born with severe heart defects after being exposed to the medication. In fact, there are at least a dozen pending Zofran lawsuits that state that infants were born with numerous kinds of congenital heart defects after pregnant women were prescribed Zofran for morning sickness.

If Zofran causes such devastating effects in infants, why is it still being prescribed to pregnant women? The answer more than likely comes down to GlaxoSmithKline seeing an extremely profitable market for the medication with pregnant women. In fact, the drug manufacturer is accused of offering kickbacks to physicians who prescribe Zofran for off-label morning sickness.

If you’re currently pregnant and taking Zofran, it’s important to understand the risks being posed on your infant. Unfortunately, the majority of women who are prescribed Zofran are never told how harmful it can be on their growing babies. For many women, it’s already too late. However, as the public becomes more and more aware of the dangers of the medication and Zofran lawsuits, the better the chance women have in the future of not taking Zofran while pregnant.