February 12th, 2012 by Admin
Zoloft Class Action
Women who took antidepressant Zoloft while pregnant may be eligible to join a Zoloft class action. The drug has been linked to increased risk of severe birth defects if taken while pregnant.
Zoloft Birth Defects
Zoloft is an SSRI antidepressant, which is a type of prescription drug that has been linked to a variety of life-threatening birth defects. The major Zoloft birth defect is PPHN, which is like high blood pressure but results in not enough oxygen reaching the baby’s body and is life-threatening.
Zoloft and Pregnancy
If you are pregnant and taking Zoloft, talk to your Doctor about the risks. The FDA requires a strong warning on all boxes of SSRI antidepressants, including Zoloft.
February 12th, 2012 by Admin
Some Information on a Prozac Lawsuit
Prozac use while pregnant may cause life-threatening birth defects in your baby. Prozac and other antidepressants of the same type (SSRIs) are very commonly prescribed for anxiety and depression but now have a black box warning issued by the FDA in 2004. If you took Prozac while you were pregnant then you should know about a Prozac lawsuit.
The Risks of Prozac
Since 2006 doctors have been warning their patients who may be thinking of becoming pregnant that taking Prozac, especially after the twentieth week of pregnancy. The specific study cites a sixfold increase in the risk of a baby born with PPHN. PPHN is a Prozac birth defect causes a condition in the baby in which the body does not receive enough oxygen. This is a life threatening situation.
What You Can Do
If you suspect Prozac harmed your child, you can fill out a free case evaluation for a Prozac lawsuit. A Prozac lawyer will review your case and see if you may be eligible to receive assistance with your medical bills. A Prozac attorney can also act as your advocate if you join a Prozac class action.
February 12th, 2012 by Admin
Celexa Lawsuit Information
If you took Celexa while you were pregnant, there was an increased risk that your baby would be born with severe birth defects. If your baby suffered because of Celexa birth defects, you should know about a Celexa lawsuit that may ease your and your baby’s suffering.
Celexa is an Antidepressant
Antidepressants such as Celexa, which work on the basis of blocking serotonin re-absorption, have been linked to increased risk of birth defects. The category of antidepressants is called SSRI, and they include Celexa, Paxil, and Lexapro. These drugs first hit the markets in the late 1980s and saw widespread prescriptions during the 1990s.
It was not until 2004 that the FDA started requiring a warning on the labels of SSRI antidepressants. The warning was to women who were pregnant or thinking of getting pregnant. The risk of severe birth defects is high enough that a black box warning was issued. A black box warning is the strongest type there is.
Celexa Birth Defects
Women who took Celexa while pregnant are more likely to have babies born with birth defects. These defects can be life threatening and include:
- Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension (PPHN) – high blood pressure and life threatening
- miscarriage and premature birth
- cleft lip or palate – tissue fails to form properly resulting in need for surgery (cleft palate)
- various heart problems
- other birth defects including an enlarged heart
February 12th, 2012 by Admin
Paxil Class Action Information
Paxil is an antidepressant that may cause damage to a fetus if the mother takes the drug while pregnant. The birth defects can be life threatening, including heart defetcts. If you believe your baby was harmed because you took Paxil during pregnancy, you can find out about a Paxil class action. It’s fast and easy: all you have to do to get a free case evaluation is fill out a simple form and a lawyer will review your case.
What is Paxil?
Paxil is a SSRI antidepressant, which means it inhibits the reabsorption of seratonin after it’s released. Seratonin helps you fell good, so preventing it from becoming re-absorbed helps you maintain that good feeling you had when it was released into the body. SSRI stands for Serotinin Reuptake Inhibitor and there are several antidepressants of this type on the market that may cause birth defects. The Paxil class action is just one of several antidepressant lawsuits, including a Lexapro lawsuit.
Paxil is prescribed for depression and anxiety, including OCD. It was approved in 1992 and in 2004 a black box warning was applied to the label. A black box warning is the strongest type of warning used by the FDA before the product is simply taken off the market because of adverse side effects.
December 31st, 2011 by Admin
Lexapro is medication given to adolescents and adults for treatment and maintenance of anxiety and depression. It’s called an SSRI medication, which stands for serotonin-selective (or serotonin-specific)1 reuptake inhibitors. Other SSRIs include Celexa, Prozac, Paxil and Zoloft.
SSRIs are found to increase suicidality in 18 to 24 year old patients just after the drug treatment has begun. Therefore, the FDA mandates that all SSRI labels warn patients and doctors of the possible risk of taking the drug. What is Lexapro? …it’s an SSRI so there must be a black box warning on the label, indicating the risk of increased suicidality during the first two months.
Patients like Lexapro because it seems to have less side effects, fewer interactions with other drugs. When Lexapro side effects do occur, they seem to be less harsh.
A Lexapro pregnancy, unfortunately, can pose increased risks of birth defects. If you took Lexapro while pregnant, you can talk to a lawyer and find out about a Lexapro lawsuit. Lexapro has been found to cause persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), ventricular outflow defects, hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) in babies born to mothers who took the drug while pregnant.
November 22nd, 2011 by Admin
An Accutane class action is in the works, as thousands of personal injury lawsuits clog the system. The existing lawsuits over the acne drug that allegedly causes irritable bowel syndrome are consolidated in the state of New Jersey.
The acne drug, manufactured by Roche, first went on the market in the 1980s as a cure-all for acne. Roche took it off the market in 2009 due to increased competition by generics and mounting legal costs, and the threat of an Accutane class action.
Plaintiffs claim they suffered severd Accutane side effects, including getting IBS (irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s Disease and Colitis). Anyone who has taken Accutane can add to the list of things to worry about: some reports found that women who took the acne medication during pregnancy were extremely prone to having babies with severe birth defects. They may too form an Accutane class action, but not one that’s centered on IBS.
July 17th, 2011 by Admin
Actos class action lawsuits are nothing new. The popular diabates drug was investigated last Fall by the FDA to check for possible links to bladder cancer. This Spring, studies were published linking Actos side effects to increased risk of bladder cancer. Health officials in France and Germany issued an Actos recall recently, although in those countries it’s less of an Actos recall and more of a suspension of sales of Actos.
The Actos recall in European countries was initiated after an insurance study revealed an increased risk of bladder cancer in patients taking Actos. In the study released last month, patients who took Actos for a year or more had more risk of contracting bladder cancer. The study occurred over a ten year period and was conducted by Takeda Pharmaceuticals, makers of Actos.
The FDA will now be reviewing Actos for bladder cancer risk. It’s a safety review and could result in an Actos recall. Actos is of the same drug class as Avandia. Avandia, which is a competitor to Actos, has been linked to increased risk of heart attacks. Avandia is closer in the medical/legal processes to actually being recalled, which makes more doctors prescribe Actos, which is an alternative drug for treatment of Type 2 Diabetes.
June 26th, 2011 by Admin
Hydroxycut isn’t technically a drug, so the Hydroxycut class action lawsuit isn’t technically a drug class action lawsuit. Hydroxycut is a diet supplement, which isn’t regulated by the FDA. That is, until someone dies, and then the FDA will step in and do their job. Hydroxycut has been named in the death of at least one person, so a recent federal court ruling gave the Hydroxycut class action the go ahead to proceed.
The FDA stepped in before, in 2009 when it removed Hydroxycut from the shelves. How then, can Hydroxycut still be found at Walmart, Walgreens, CVS and GNC? Well it turns out that every time the FDA or a Hydroxycut lawsuit alleges the active ingredient in the diet supplement causes harm to consumers, they reformulate the product and put it back on the shelves. But they ride on its previous reputation as a fast-acting weight loss supplement to trick people into buying the new, weaker formula.
The original formula contained ephedra, which is now totally banned by the FDA. It caused Hydroxycut to be linked to at least one death and lots of cases of liver damage. But it apparently worked, so it got a reputation as an effective (if not safe) diet drug. People who heard about this and rush to GNC to buy Hydroxycut are actually getting nothing more potent than tea in pill form, with a few herbs mixed in.
Yes, the new Hydroxycut is just a caffeine pill with herbs. But the original Hydroxycut class action was given the go-ahead to proceed this week, and the shadow of the harmful ephedra version lingers on.
April 16th, 2011 by Admin
Depakote is a drug given to treat epilepsy and also to treat the manic phase of bipolar disorder. There are off label uses for Depakote also, including treatment for severe migraines. Women who take the drug during pregnancy have increased risk of giving birth to babies with birth defects. Women who feel this describes their situation may become part of a Depakote class action.
The Depakote lawsuit is based on allegations that its maker purposely kept birth injury warnings off the label, keeping patients and doctors in the dark on the true side effects of Depakote. Depakote is manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, who would be the defendant in a Depakote class action.
The main active ingredient in Depakote is (valproate sodium). This component and others like it can cause birth defects such as neural tube defects if taken by the mother during pregnancy. The US FDA issued a warning in December 2009, stating that mothers who took drugs with valproate sodium were likely to experience increased risk of birth defects. Depakote side effects relating to birth injuries were allegedly left off the label of Depakote by Abbott Laboratories, causing harm to families. This is the basis of the Depakote class action lawsuit.
March 20th, 2011 by Admin
Topiramate is an anticonvulsant which is given to treat seizures in people who have epilepsy. It’s also given to treat migraines, but not the pain of migraines. The FDA has recently issued a warning about Topiramate side effects when given during pregnancy.
The FDA has given warnings on Topiramate side effects before, but is now strengthening the warnings, just this week. The reason is that after scouring pregnancy data, FDA scientists have concluded that there is higher risk for cleft lip and cleft palate for babies born to women who took Topiramate during pregnancy.
The problem of Topiramate side effects is complicated by the fact that the cleft lip or palate occurs when the lip or palate doesn’t comletely fuse, which happens during the first trimester. This is often when a woman doesn’t even know she’s pregnant, and may unknowingly cause harm to the fetus by taking Topiramate.
Topiramate is also known by the brand name Topamax, which is sold by Johnson & Johnson. It’s used to treat seizures in people who have epilepsy and it’s also a major component of the diet drug called Qnexa. In fact, the FDA recently declined to approve Qnexa for the same Topiramate side effects.
Data shows that the risk of cleft palate or lip are sometimes as much as double in babies where the mother took Topiramate during pregnancy. This correlates with data produced in the United Kingdom.
Johnson & Johnson was fined recently for advertising Topamax for unapproved uses. They paid a fine. After the FDA issued the strengthened Topiramate side effects warning this week, shares of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) dropped.
