Depakote Lawsuit, Depakote Birth Defect Lawsuit, Depakote Spina Bifida Lawyer and Depakote Birth Defect Lawsuit Information by Texas Depakote Birth Defect Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Several parents have filed a lawsuit against Abbott Laboratories, alleging their children suffered from Depakote birth defects. These lawsuits allege that Depakote is linked to neural tube defects including spina bifida as well as other birth defects including heart defects, and malformations of hands, fingers, palate, lips, and genitals. The lawsuits allege that Abbott Laboratories knew of these potential health risks but continued marketing Depakote without providing proper warning to pregnant women and women that could become pregnant of these risks.

If you believe that your child has suffered a birth defect or birth injury as a result of a defective drug, medication, or product, contact Texas Depakote Lawyer Jason Coomer for a free review of a Depakote Neural Tube Defect Lawsuit, Depakote Spina Bifida Lawsuit or other Depakote Birth Defect Lawsuit or use our online submission form.

Depakote Birth Defect Lawsuit Information, Valproate Birth Defect Lawsuit Information, Spina Bifida Lawsuit Information & Defective Drug Birth Defect Lawsuit Information

Depakote also known as Valproate semisodium (INN), Depakote ER, Depakene, Depacon, Epival, Dépakine Chrono,Valance, and divalproex sodium (USAN) is a drug prescribed to treat seizures, migraine headaches, and some psychiatric disorders.  In the UK, Canada, and U.S., the drugs are used for the treatment of the manic episodes of bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, prevention of both manic and depressive phases of bipolar disorder, epilepsy, chronic pain associated with neuropathy, and migraine headaches. Off-label use of the drug include treatment of mild depression, the depressive stage of bi-polar disorder, and chronic pain such as migraine headaches.

Depakote has been linked to major birth defects in children of women that were taking this drug.  According to a recent medical scientific study, women taking Depakote had four times the risk of delivering a child with major birth defects, compared to women taking other, similar drugs.  The range of birth defects associated with Depakote is broad, however the report specifically cited neural tube defects such as spina bifida. Neural tube defects are birth defects that affect the brain and spinal cord; spinal bifida is a defect affecting the spinal cord that causes paralysis of the legs.There is no known cure.

In addition to spina bifida, other birth defects caused by Depakote include cleft palate, cleft lip, heart defects, limb and digital deformities, facial dysmorphism, mental developmental delays, and (difficult) genitourinary maloformations.

Paroxetine, Seroxat, and Paxil Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Antidepressants (SSRIs) PPHN Birth Defect Lawsuits

Avoidable birth defects are one of the most devastating problems that can occur to a family and a new baby.  Parents who should be celebrating the birth of a new child, are often caught off guard when their child is born with severe disabilities and often  do not realize that someone may be responsible for the birth injury or defect including drug manufacturers that hid information about medications that can cause birth defects.  The family is typically busy taking care of the child with the serious health problems and often does not know that the birth defect was preventable.  When they discover the probable cause of the preventable birth defect they are often filled with anger and rage.  To find out that their child will have permanent health problems or that they lost their baby because a drug company hid research and did not provide an adequate warning of a product's safety can be extremely difficult

Paroxetine (trade names Seroxat, Paxil) is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant that has been linked to birth defects including Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN), heart, lung, abdominal and cranial defects.  Women that have taken Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Antidepressants (SSRIs) after the 20th week of pregnancy have a 6-fold increased risk of having their child develop persistent pulmonary hypertension, a life-threatening lung disorder.  Infants with persistent pulmonary hypertension have abnormal blood flow through the heart and lungs and do not get enough oxygen to their bodies and may become very sick or die. 

The SSRIs antidepressants that have been linked to persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) include Paxil by GlaxoSmithKline, Zoloft marketed by Pfizer; Prozac sold by Eli Lilly; Celexa and Lexapro by Forest Laboratories, Effexor marketed by Wyeth, Luvox by Solvay, and the generic makers of these drugs include Barr Pharmaceuticals, Ranbaxy Labs and Genpharm.

Infants born with PPHN often require mechanical assistance to breath and even worse about 10% to 20% of the infants do not survive even when they receive treatment. The PPHN babies that do survive often experience developmental delays, brain abnormalities and hearing loss, experts say.

Other birth defects that have been associated with SSRIs include Anencephaly, a neural tube defect where much of the brain does not develop; Craniosynostosis, an abnormality in which connections of the skull bones close prematurely; and Heart birth defects including septal defects and ventricular defects.

SSRIs have not only been associated to birth defects, but have been associated with increased risk of suicide.  For more information on suicide claims from antidepressants, please see our antidepressant suicide claim information page.

Paroxetine, Seroxat, and Paxil Failure to Warn Birth Defect Lawsuits

Several medications, products, and drugs have been linked to birth defects.  Some of these medication and products have ample warnings that warn pregnant women to avoid taking these products while they are pregnant, however, some manufacturers have hidden the real dangers of their product in order to sell more of their product and value profits over healthy babies.  For these manufacturers, they may have short term profits, but over the long term they will suffer for the long term birth defects that they have caused.

Federal and Texas Birth Defect Lawyers, Depakote Birth Defect Lawyer, Valproate Birth Defect Lawyer, Spina Bifida Lawyer, Depakote Spina Bifida Lawyer, Depakote ER Lawyer, and Depakote Cleft Palate & Deformity Lawyer

Federal and Texas Birth Defect Lawsuits are some of the most complicated types of cases in the practice of law. As a Texas birth defect and birth injury lawyer that handles birth defect, infant death and stillborn baby claims, Jason S. Coomer works with other Birth Defect Lawyers throughout the United States including Boston Depakotel Birth Defect Lawyers, Atlanta Depakote Birth Defect Lawyers, Virginia Birth Defect Lawyers, Dallas Depakote Spina Bifida Birth Defect Lawyers, Houston Spina Bifida Birth Defect Lawyers, and other Depakote Birth Defect Lawyers.  In working with other birth defect lawyers, we seek compensation from negligent drug companies and other companies that have severely injured or killed infants or mothers through selling dangerous products, medications, and drugs that they should have know were dangerous, but hid significant research in order to sell more product to make a profit.

If you have suffered the loss of your baby or your baby has been born with a significant birth defect, feel free to contact Texas Depakote Birth Defect Attorney, Jason S. Coomer.