Parents suing pharmaceutical company over baby's heart defect

 Posted on January 11, 2013 in Drugs

Parents who had a baby with a serious heart defect sued a drug manufacturer and a number of others, saying medication prescribed to the mother caused the defect. Among others named as defendants are the local pharmacy and the mother's physician. The Montana Standard reported a story on this court case.

Lisa Rodney and Wayne Halvorsen are seeking compensation in the case where they allege that their daughter suffered serious birth defects as a result of the mother's Effexor XR medication. Effexor is an anti-depressant that the mother was ingesting before the child's birth.

The lawsuit names a number of defendants: Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc., Pfizer Inc., CVS Pharmacy, and a few others. The couple are also suing the physicians involved.

The filed lawsuit alleges that Wyeth failed to alert doctors, pharmacists, and the public on possible birth defects on babies if the mothers are ingesting Effexor before or during their pregnancy.

The child in question was born in 2009, and has undergone several surgeries for her heart defect. She is also expected to have further surgeries to treat the condition, the lawsuit says.

Pfizer, who own Wyeth Pharmaceuticas, said that they are standing behind Effexor and believe there is no merit to the lawsuit.

If you or a loved one are suffering from side-effects that you were not told about when the drug was prescribed or are injured because of a faulty medical device, you should contact a personal injury attorney who handles medical product liability cases in your area. Our dedicated attorneys have six locations in Northern Illinois, so do not hesitate to contact us when you need our services.