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Paxil Birth Defect Lawyer

Children with Paxil-related birth defects began filing Paxil birth defect lawsuits over six years ago.  The first Paxil birth defect lawsuit went to trial in September 2009.  Based on the evidence presented at trial, the jury found that Paxil caused the boy’s heart defect and awarded the family $2.5 million dollars.  Since losing that trial, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has settled hundreds of Paxil birth defect cases for approximately $1 billion.  The attorneys from Kirkendall Dwyer LLP have personally helped litigate over a hundred Paxil birth defect cases for injured children from all over the United States.

If you took Paxil during your pregnancy, your child may be entitled to financial compensation if he or she suffered any of the following birth defects:

  • Congenital heart defect
  • Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN)
  • Spina bifida
  • Craniosynostosis
  • Omphalocele
  • Cleft lip and / or cleft palate
  • Club foot
  • Anencephaly
  • Anal atresia

Paxil Birth Defect Warning

GSK has not issued a Paxil recall to date.  However, the FDA did eventually warn physicians about the increased risk of congenital heart defects in December 2005. ( read FDA birth defect warning here )

This birth defect warning came more than thirteen years after GSK began selling its drug to women of childbearing age.  The FDA changed Paxil from a pregnancy category C drug to a pregnancy category D drug.  A pregnancy category D drug means there is positive evidence of risk to the human fetus.

GSK issued a birth defect warning following the results of a U.S study and a Swedish study, which linked in utero exposure to Paxil to an increased risk of cardiac defects.  More specifically:

  • In the Swedish study, the authors concluded that women who received paroxetine (Paxil) in early pregnancy had an approximately 2-fold increased risk for having an infant with a cardiac defect compared to the entire national registry population (the risk of a cardiac defect was about 2% in paroxetine-exposed infants vs. 1% among all registry infants).
  • In a study performed using data from a United States insurance claims database, infants of women who received paroxetine (Paxil) in the first trimester had a 1.5-fold increased risk for cardiac malformations and a 1.8-fold increased risk for congenital malformations overall compared to infants of women who received other antidepressants in the first trimester.  The risk of a cardiac defect was about 1.5% in paroxetine-exposed infants vs. 1% among infants exposed to other antidepressants.

In February 2006, the New England Journal of Medicine published an abstract by author Christina D. Chambers, Ph.D., M.P.H.  This abstract reported a six-fold increased risk of Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of a Newborn (PPHN) in children exposed to SSRIs, like Paxil, Zoloft, Lexapro, Prozac and Celexa in utero.  (read abstract here)

On July 19, 2006, and, largely based on Ms. Chamber’s February 2006 abstract, the FDA released the Public Heath Advisory: Treatment Challenges of Depression in Pregnancy and the Possibility of Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension in Newborns. ( read FDA health advisory here )

Contact an Attorney Today.

If your child was born with a birth defect as a result of being exposed to Paxil in utero, contact a Paxil birth defect attorney at Kirkendall Dwyer LLP.   Kirkendall Dwyer LLP has the experience and know-how to resolve your Paxil birth defect claim.  As always, we don’t see a dime unless you receive compensation.