d'Oliveira & Associates Notes the Announcement of Zoloft Birth Defects Multidistrict Litigation (MDL) Set to Start in Mid-September 2014

U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Judge Cynthia M. Rufe announced during a Pre-trial order issued last month that the first Zoloft birth defects trial is set for September 14, 2014. See In re: Zoloft (Sertraline Hydrochloride) Prods. Liab. Litig., 856 F. Supp. 2d 1347 (J.P.M.L. 2012). There have been approximately 250 Zoloft birth defects pending in the MDL. Even in this past August, as many as 5 lawsuits were added to the MDL in one day.

(PRWEB) January 11, 2013

U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Judge Cynthia M. Rufe announced during a Pre-trial order issued last month that the first Zoloft birth defects trial is set for September 14, 2014. See In re: Zoloft (Sertraline Hydrochloride) Prods. Liab. Litig., 856 F. Supp. 2d 1347 (J.P.M.L. 2012). There have been approximately 250 Zoloft birth defects pending in the MDL. Even in this past August, as many as 5 lawsuits were added to the MDL in one day. The announcement indicated that so long as all the appropriate discover had been completed at that time, the trial would begin. The judge also mentioned that the first trial would not begin until at least eight months after the briefing of any challenges to expert testimony that may be offered. Additionally, the bellwether trials are set to undergo discovery specific to the cases by January 11, 2013. The bellwether trials are cases that are chosen from the pool of cases in the MDL to do trial case runs in front of a jury so that the judge can have a better idea of how the MDL will go as MDLs are expensive and they want to avoid wasting resources.

As recent as November 19, 2012, the Zoloft MDL in Pennsylvania added a new lawsuit filed by a mother whose child was born with autism as well as other life-threatening physical birth defects after she used Zoloft while pregnant. This lawsuit alleges that although Pfizer knew about the defects as far back as the 1990s, the company continued to market their drugs without the appropriate warnings. This baby was born with multiple birth defects including anemia of prematurity, which is characterized by low red blood cell count and often requires transfusions; tracheoesophageal fistula, an abnormal connection between the trachea and esophagus, which requires surgery soon after birth; and double outlet right ventricle, a heart defect that often requires surgery.

The other Zoloft birth defect lawsuits claim that Pfizer knew or should have known that the drug has the potential to cause the birth defects, but that it failed to warn both the public and the medical communities about the risk. Pfizer has also been accused of encouraging the doctors to prescribe Zoloft to women of childbearing age and considers pregnant women one of their primary marketing targets while knowing the dangerous defects the drug could cause. In 2007, Zoloft succeeded in becoming the most widely prescribed antidepressant in the U.S. with nearly 30 million prescriptions filled annually despite the seriousness of its side effects, putting millions of women and unborn children at risk.

The attorneys at d'Oliveira & Associates urge anyone who has taken Zoloft and have suffered any serious birth defects or know someone who has suffered birth defects due to Zoloft to contact them and find out if you are entitled to compensation. They are working with some of the leading dangerous drugs attorneys in the nation who are handling these cases. They want all patients who have used Zoloft to understand that they are entitled to compensation.

For a free legal consultation, call 1-800-992-6878 or visit their website at Zoloft Lawyer

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