A law firm in Texas, Fitts Zehl LLP, is ready to start the first five cases against GlaxoSmithKline, the makers of the controversial antidepressant Paxil. The birth defects cases will be tried in a Philadelphia State Court in May. These are the first birth defects cases that will tried in the U.S., and the firm is still taking on new cases while its attorneys prepare for the trial to begin.
Ryan Zehl is excited about being the first firm to take Paxil birth defects cases to court.
“We’ve taken steps to ensure that no other Paxil trials take place before our May trials,” Zehl says. “This will be the third time GSK goes to trial over Paxil since the FDA required them to disclose the increased risk of congenital heart defects in babies born to mothers taking Paxil during the first trimester of pregnancy in December 2005.”
This Paxil trial includes cases in which the plaintiffs allege that Glaxo didn’t properly warn doctors about the adverse side effects of the drug such as birth defects. The suits also claim that Glaxo outright ignored study results that showed Paxil caused birth defects. If these first five cases are won, it could set a precedent for other birth defects cases that make it to trial with the same claims. That is why this trial is so important.
GlaxoSmithKline has been battling lawsuits against Paxil and have paid more than $1 billion to date. The drug giant has even settled a lawsuit for $750 million when a whistleblower came out against the manufacturing process at GSK’s plant in Cidra, Puerto Rico. That lawsuit alleged that Glaxo ignored warnings of the plant manufacturing and packaging adulterated drugs, including Paxil.
The birth defects lawsuits against Glaxo have been filed by the thousands, but this trial in May will be the first to make it to court. If your baby was born with birth defects and you took Paxil during the pregnancy, there is still time to file a lawsuit.
