You May Be Eligible For A Settlement Against Zofran

Posted by Lawsuit Information on July 3rd, 2015

A company called GlaxoSmithKline created a drug that will keep someone from feeling nauseas. This drug is called Xarelto and it has caused many problems for people. Before we discuss those problems we will look at what it does in the body. There is a receptor in the brain which is in charge of the signal that makes you feel like you need to vomit. This drug contains a 5-HT3 antagonist which blocks the receptor. A substance in the brain called serotonin will make people feel nauseous. Because cancer patients lose a lot of nutrients during chemotherapy, this drug was created to help them from becoming malnourished. The same goes for patients who have just underwent surgery. Although pregnant women get nauseous and can lose important amounts of nutrients for themselves and their unborn baby, they should not have been recommended this drug, however many have been. This has led to many birth defects which is a perfect example of why ‘off label’ prescribing is a bad ideal.

This drug has led to death as well as severe birth defects. If someone you know or yourself took this drug during pregnancy, you may be eligible for a settlement for a number of reasons we will discuss. While most drugs have stated side effects, this one was not tested or marketed safely. If you took the drug for an FDA approved use such as after chemotherapy or radiation therapy as well as postoperative, you may find it harder to win a lawsuit against Zofran.

Many mothers were prescribed Zofran in their first trimester and the effects on their babies were devastating. Some of these effects were very severe. The most common defects were facial defects like cleft palate and cleft lip. There were also severe internal birth defects in the heart. Many babies had holes in their heart or even malformed kidneys. The condition that some women experience during pregnancy where they cannot stop vomiting is called hyperemesis gravidarum which is more intense than regular morning sickness. Doctors started recommending this drug for those mothers because the company was telling them it was good for mothers to use. .

If you or a loved one suffered medical expenses, time away from work, emotional loss, other loss of income, unnecessary suffering, you should consider a lawsuit against Zofran. You can file a claim against the manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline based on yourself or your child. Some spouses have also filed. Your lawyer can help you determine if you will qualify for a lawsuit. You should know there have been many lawsuits filed against this manufacturer and just as recent as February in 2015 two class action lawsuits that you may want to join, gained attention that were filed against this company.

If your baby has a birth defect, you will most likely qualify. Many of the related birth defects are involving the structure of the heart. Some of these conditions are called congenital heart defects. There will be many law firms that will be willing to help you against this injustice. The reason it is an injustice is because the company put profits before the well being of individuals. A company should not market a product for a something it is not specifically FDA approved to help with. This product was not approved to help pregnant women according to the FDA and thus the marketing tactics of the company are essentially illegal and malicious.

The specific approval for Zofran was to treat the nausea in chemotherapy and radiation patients as well as the nausea in people that have undergone surgery. The name of the drug that is being called Zofran is called ondansetron. The manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline is actually one of the largest drug makers in the world and not surprisingly, they have many other lawsuits against them. This is not a new story, the company has known about allegations against the product since 2012 when they plead guilty for false advertisement. They probably remember that 3 billion dollar settlement vividly but for some reason they are still overlooking the obvious, which is that they are prioritizing profits over human health.

Can you believe that at least a million women are taking this Zofran or something with the same ingredients? It’s a tragedy because they are never told what it can do to the babies in their stomach that they are trying so hard to protect. Often the doctors also are not told about this.

Unfortunately the manufacturer knew that the drug was toxic for mothers and unborn babies. Animal tests showed that it has very harmful effects and this company decided to sweep that information under the rug. The animal tests showed that the drug will pass to the baby and that deems the drug unsafe for expecting mothers. Because the company knew the drug was unsafe and continued to market it, you can see why there is grounds for these lawsuits. Knowingly poisoning a fetus is a serious crime. Promoting the drug to mothers as well as doctors when it is unsafe is also a very serious crime and should be treated as that.

Let’s back up to 1992 when the drug came on the market for it’s approved purposes. The company has a vague statement regarding if the drug is safe for pregnant mothers. This is that these women should take the drug online if the benefits are more desirable than not taking it. How could a mother possibly determine this if the truth is withheld from them? Back in 1992, it’s clear that the manufacturer know that this drug was harmful to unborn babies and they ignored that to make money. How sad.

Many mothers are still unaware that certain birth defects their babies have were caused or may have been caused by this drug. These mothers have no idea they are most likely entitled to compensation.

Here are some of the symptoms that babies had because of this drug.

Cleft Lip or Palate

These birth defects often require many painful and expensive surgeries to correct. Cleft palate is a condition that basically means the roof of the mouth hasn’t fused properly. It can lead to problems with the nasal passage, bacterial growth, problems eating and nursing. Cleft lip is similar but on the shape of the exterior lip. This can make nursing extremely difficult because it’s very hard for the baby to create a sucking motion when there is not a circular mouth. There are special nipples that can help with cleft lip so the baby can get the nutrients they need. Unfortunately these problems usually lead to other things because of the deformities. Sadly, ear infections or problems with hearing can develop.

Specific Problems with the Heart

There is a heart condition which causes a baby to be born pale or a bluish color. Other heart problems can cause the child’s heart to race and they can cause sweating when the baby nurses. The baby may have trouble breathing and breathing in short gasping breaths. The bluish skin color that can happen at birth is a condition called cyanosis.

The sad truth is that scientists have found that a fetus exposed to Zofran is twice as likely to have a heart problem. That is a staggering statistic. The study that proved this pulled from 900,000 births and it was true that the fetus’s exposed to the drug actually had a thirty percent higher rate of birth deformities and complications. This study was conducted between the years of 1997 and 2010 so you can see that this is still a new issue and many people are still in the dark about it.

So in conclusion, if there were birth defects because you took Zofran during your pregnancy or know someone who may have, you should consider a lawsuit or joining a class action lawsuit. Remember to tell the women you know not to take this drug if they are pregnant or if they may become pregnant. Fortunately there are FDA approved drugs that can keep mothers from vomiting. In addition to those drugs, the best options is to eat very healthy and exercise regularly. There are natural and healthy alternatives to prescription drugs that can be discussed with a naturopathic doctor and will have less potential harmful side effects.