Lexapro, manufactured by Forest Pharmaceutical, has been linked to serious, life-threatening birth defects.
Approved by the FDA in 2002, Lexapro is used by millions of Americans for anxiety and depression. The FDA is strengthening its warning for the antidepressant Lexapro because it may be associated with birth defects, specifically, congenital heart defects, Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN), abdominal and cranial defects.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Lexapro induced birth defect claims in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has taken Lexapro and their child has developed a congenital heart defect, Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN), abdominal or cranial defect, you should contact our firm immediately for a free case consultation. Please click here to contact our Dangerous Drug Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
UPDATE: Lexapro Lawsuit filed for Child’s Heart Defect
July 7, 2014 — Courthouse News reports that a federal judge has allowed a lawsuit to proceed against Forest Laboratories on behalf of a child who was born with severe birth defects. The girl was born in July 2011 with severe heart defects (atrioventricular canal defects). Click here to read more.
January 30, 2013 — Study links Lexapro to life-threatening irregular heart rhythm. Click here to read more.
October 19, 2012 — A new study has linked Lexapro to an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, bleeding in the brain, and stroke. This increased risk could be especially significant for people with risk factors for bleeding, such as those taking blood-thinning medications (like Pradaxa or warfarin). Click here to read more.
What is the problem with Lexapro?
Lexapro is used by millions of Americans to treat depression. More specifically, pregnant women have been prescribed Lexapro to help with anxiety involved with their pregnancy. The fetuses of these women using Lexapro or other SSRI antidepressants such as Paxil, Celexa, Prozac, Symbyax, and Zoloft are at a greater risk of developing a birth defect.
The two most common forms of an SSRI antidepressant congenital heart defect are atrial septal defects or ventricular septal defects. Atrial septal defect (ASD) is a form of congenital heart defect that enables blood flow between the left and right atria via the interatrial septum. There is a hole in the wall between the two upper chambers of the heart that allows for this blood flow exchange. Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) is when there is a large opening between the ventricles allowing a large amount of oxygen-rich blood from the heart’s left side through the defect on the right side. It is then pumped back into the lungs, even though it has been oxygenated. This is wasteful, since blood that’s already been to the lungs is returning there, and blood that needs to go to the lungs is being displaced. The heart, which has to pump an extra amount of blood, is overworked and may enlarge.
The results of the study have shown that babies born to mothers who took Lexapro were more likely to develop Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN), than babies born to mothers who did not take Lexapro during pregnancy. PPHN is failure of the normal circulatory transition that occurs after birth. It is a syndrome characterized by marked pulmonary hypertension that causes hypoxemia and right-to-left extrapulmonary shunting of blood. With inadequate pulmonary perfusion, neonates develop refractory hypoxemia, respiratory distress, and acidosis.
SSRI antidepressants like Lexapro may cause two separate congenital abnormalities called Omphalocele and Craniosynostosis. An omphalocele is a congenital (present at birth) abdominal wall birth defect in which the infant’s intestine or other abdominal organs stick out of the belly button (navel). In babies with an omphalocele, the intestines are covered only by a thin layer of tissue and can be easily seen. Craniosynostosis is a congenital (present at birth) defect that causes one or more sutures on a baby’s head to close earlier than normal. Sutures are connections that separate each individual skull bones. The early closing of a suture leads to an abnormally shaped head.
Lexapro Lawsuit Settlement for $7-10 Million
Forest Laboratories Inc., the manufacturer of Lexapro, has agreed to pay up to $10.4 million to settle a multi-district litigation (MDL) in Missouri involving allegations of false and misleading marketing of Lexapro in children and teenagers. These lawsuits were not part of a class action and they did not involve birth defects.
Lexapro Class Action Lawsuit Information
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is nationally recognized as a class action law firm, but we are not filing a Lexapro class action lawsuit at this time. Hundreds of lawsuits have already been filed on behalf of children who were born with birth defects after being exposed to SSRI antidepressants during pregnancy. However, these are not part of a class action. Instead, they are individual lawsuits have been centralized in an MDL in Pennsylvania. Contact our lawyers today to learn more.
Lexapro Birth Defects
There are a variety of birth defects associated with Lexapro. Our firm is pursing the following types of serious, life-threatening birth defects:
- Abdominal Defects
- Anal Atresia
- Anencephaly
- Aortic Stenosis
- Atrial Septal Defects
- Cleft Lip
- Cleft Palate
- Cloacal Exstrophy
- Clubfoot
- Coarctation of the Aorta
- Cranial Defects
- Craniosynostosis
- Dandy-Walker Syndrome
- Ebstein’s Anomaly
- Encephalocele
- Esophageal Atresia
- Esophageal Stenosis
- Fetal Death
- Gastroschisis
- Hand Birth Defects
- Heart Defects
- Heart Murmurs
- Hydranencephaly
- Hydronephrosis
- Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome
- Hypoplastic Right Heart Syndrome
- Hypospadias
- Iniencephaly
- Intellectual Disability
- Intrauterine Growth Restriction
- Mitral Valve Defects
- Neural Tube Defects
- Omphalocele
- Patent Ductus Arteriosus
- Physical Defects
- PPHN
- Premature Birth
- Pulmonary Atresia
- Pulmonary Stenosis
- Spina Bifida
- Tetralogy of Fallot
- Transposition of the Great Vessels
- Tricuspid Atresia
- Tricuspid Valve Stenosis
- Truncus Arteriosus
- Undescended Testicles
- Ventricular Septal Defects
Do I Have a Lexapro Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting Lexapro induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by Lexapro, you should contact our firm immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Dangerous Drug Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
Attention Lawyers: We consider a referral from another law firm to be one of the greatest compliments. If your firm is interested in referring us your case or for us to send you a list of previous award judgments and/or average referral fees, please visit the Lawyer Referral section of our website.
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading plaintiffs' law firms and handles cases in all 50 states. We are very proud of our legal achievements, but equally self-respecting of our firm's reputation for providing personal attention to each and every client we represent.
