Drug-Related Birth Defects
Cleft Palate
Cleft Palate is a type of congenital deformity that is an opening or gap in a child's lip. These can be treated with surgery, with the best results being surgery soon after birth. Pharmaceutical companies release new drugs and medical devices onto the market every year, and many of them have not been properly tested. Many come with dangerous side effects that doctors and patients weren't aware of or didn't realize the full extent of. One very sad side effect to taking some prescription drugs is the harm that can come to babies. Birth defects are commonly known to be caused by dangerous drugs such as illegal narcotics and alcohol, but most women don't know that their prescription drugs and even some over-the-counter drugs they are taking could cause their child to be born with birth-defects such as cleft palate. The most common types of birth defects include cleft palates, heart defects, intestinal defects, and eye defects, among others.
- Zoloft Birth Defects: Zoloft is an antidepressant drug that is commonly used, but recently it has been linked to many variations of birth defects. One of those defects is cleft palate, but it can even cause premature birth or miscarriage.
- SSRI Birth Defects: these can include persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) as well as other heart and lung problems. Women who take SSRIs during their third trimester are six times more likely to have babies suffering from PPHN.
- Accutane Birth Defects: Accutane is a medication meant to treat severe cystic acne. If a woman takes this drug while she is pregnant, her child can suffer from cleft palate and other things like visual impairment, facial malformations, mental retardation, and heart defects, among other defects.
What a Pharmaceutical Injury Attorney Can Do
If you believe that a medication you were taking during pregnancy caused your child birth defects like cleft palate, contact a
pharmaceutical injury attorney from our firm immediately. Many times, women are not properly informed of the risks that these drugs pose to their unborn children. Once your child has been born with birth defects, you cannot go back and undo the damage those drugs have done. You may be able to treat your child's defects by surgery or medication, but these may pose a great expense to you. If you were not aware of these side effects, then it should not be your responsibility to pay for the damages they did.
If your child suffered a cleft palate or another type of birth defect as a result of you taking a dangerous prescription drug during your pregnancy, you may be liable to compensation. At Arnold & Itkin, we have ample experience in dealing with pharmaceutical companies, and know the kind of aggressive representation it takes to get you the compensation you deserve.
Contact a birth defect lawyer from our firm today to see how we can help you.