If you’re pregnant or recently had surgery, chances are you know what nausea is all about. Furthermore, although nausea is a symptom no one wants to encounter, it is unfortunately sometimes unavoidable. Likewise, for women in their first trimester, a queasy stomach is oftentimes something they must endure. Yet, Zofran has been prescribed to some pregnant women and now they are having babies with serious birth defects.
Zofran is an anti-nausea medication typically prescribed to people who are being treated with chemotherapy or radiation for cancer. The FDA has cleared Zofran for safe treatment of cancer patients, but not for nausea related to pregnancy. In addition, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), the makers of Zofran, is now facing mounting lawsuits in regards to the prescriptions because they’re the ones who pushed them to physicians knowing the devastating consequences.
GSK knew that Zofran could cause serious birth defects if taken during pregnancy because studies indicated such malformations when tested on animals. In addition, GSK ignored the warnings that Zofran reached past the placental barrier, and even offered monetary compensation to physicians that drove up their prescriptions to pregnant women. Sadly, the pharmaceutical giants knew that Zofran could cause babies to be born with cleft lip, cleft palate, and heart defects.
If Zofran has affected you or your child, we can help. Please contact the experienced St. Louis personal injury attorneys at Meyerkord & Kurth today for a free consultation.