Zofran is an anti-nausea drug used to help cancer patients, and those who tend to get sick following surgery. Unfortunately, although Zofran helps some patients with nausea, it can greatly harm others. For instance, if pregnant patients take Zofran during their first trimester for morning sickness, the probability of the women having a baby with severe birth defects greatly increases.
Likewise, the FDA has not cleared Zofran use as a safe method to combat morning sickness in pregnant women, yet it has been prescribed to some. The end results are tragic. Such women who have taken Zofran while pregnant are having babies with cleft palate, cleft lip, and severe heart and kidney defects. Tragically not only does this medical negligence severely impact the parent's lives, such defects will follow the child throughout his or her life as well. Now, families are looking for answers, and thus filing lawsuits against the makers of the Zofran.
Pharmaceutical giants, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), make Zofran. Although GSK were knowledgeable to the fact that Zofran use during pregnancy can harm the unborn baby, they continued to market it as safe without heeding the warning from the FDA. Furthermore, it was found during animal testing that Zofran reaches past the placental barrier, and thus can cause harm. Likewise, GSK has been receiving notices since 1992 that birth defects have been linked to Zofran use during pregnancy, yet choose to ignore those warnings.
In addition, GSK has already paid millions in fines relating to the mismanagement of funds and Xarelto use. It was found that GSK was financially compensating physicians to prescribe Zofran for pregnant patients, although the company knew it was not safe to do so. Therefore, once again GSK must answer to the law and its patients it has been harming.
The skilled St. Louis personal injury attorneys at Meyerkord & Kurth are currently representing Zofran cases. If you or your child were injured as a result of taking Zofran or any other drug, we can help. Please contact us today for a no-cost assessment of your potential drug liability case.