Pfizer’s antidepressant drug Zoloft passed the first U.S. trial. The company had recently faced a lot of accusations that the drug was responsible for birth defects, due to pregnant women taking the pills. Pfizer is accused of not clarifying all the side effects of the drug, in order to increase sales. The accusations were filed by […]
Pfizer’s antidepressant drug Zoloft passed the first U.S. trial. The company had recently faced a lot of accusations that the drug was responsible for birth defects, due to pregnant women taking the pills. Pfizer is accused of not clarifying all the side effects of the drug, in order to increase sales.
The accusations were filed by Kristyn Pesante, after her child has been born with rare and serious congenital heart problems.
The accusations led to a trail in St. Louis, Missouri, where the accuser had asked the company to pay compensation and face disciplinary measures. However, this was not the only accusation against Zoloft; there were other lawsuits as well by mothers giving birth to babies with similar cardiac problems. Pfizer had initially neglected the fact that there was more than just one case across the nation.
The accuser stated that she took the drug in her first trimester after reading the company’s claims that it has the least number of side effects and is the best for pregnant women. Pfizer had, in return, provided scientific evidence that there was no link between Zoloft and birth defects.
Additionally, the company also had the support of different agencies like the American Heart Association, American Psychiatric Association. Zoloft has long been an FDA approved drug, which is widely prescribed due to its effectiveness in treating depression in women.
The first trial went in the favor of the company, but there are others to come. The next trial is to be conducted in Philadelphia later this year. Pesante and other mothers have come up in unison in hopes that the Pfizer pays for its mistake.
The accuser is being seen as a voice of other mothers suffering the same consequences since hers is the first case that was chosen for hearing while a number of other lawsuits are still pending. Even her case had been pending since 2012, which took a week to reach a conclusion, with actions against the company being delayed until this year.
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