Despite evidence suggesting that Paxil could cause birth defects, Glaxo deliberately chose not to conduct studies that would have uncovered the true dangers of the drug.

The law firm of Hissey Kientz, LLP is pleased to announce the launch of its new website, Paxil Birth Defects Lawyers (http://www.paxilbirthdefectslawyers.com/). The site will serve as an information resource for the parents and families of children born with birth defects linked to their mothers’ use of Paxil during pregnancy. Multiple studies have found that the children of mothers who take Paxil while pregnant are at an increased risk of severe birth defects.

September 27, 2010

The law firm of Hissey Kientz, LLP is pleased to announce the launch of its new website, Paxil Birth Defects Lawyers (http://www.paxilbirthdefectslawyers.com/). The site will serve as an information resource for the parents and families of children born with birth defects linked to their mothers’ use of Paxil during pregnancy.

Paxil is part of a class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). After it first went on the market in December 1992, Paxil has gone on to become one of the most widely prescribed drugs in the United States, with annual sales of $3.2 billion by 2002.

Multiple studies have found that the children of mothers who take Paxil while pregnant are at an increased risk of severe birth defects. In December 2005, the Food and Drug Administration called for stronger birth defects warnings on the drug’s labeling after two studies found that Paxil doubles the risk of birth defects when taken by women during the first trimester of pregnancy. Most of these birth defects involved cases of atrial and ventricular septal defects (holes in the walls of the chambers of the heart).

Paxil has also been linked to an increased risk of birth defects when taken later in pregnancy. A 2006 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that women who take Paxil or similar antidepressants after the 20th week of pregnancy are six times more likely to give birth to a child with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN), a condition which causes breathing and circulation problems that may lead to hospitalization or death.

Taking Paxil during pregnancy may also be linked to a number of other serious heart defects in newborns, including cardiomyopathy, tricuspid stenosis, cleft mitral valves, hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), hypoplastic right heart syndrome (HRHS), bicuspid aortic valves or patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).

Documents uncovered in the ongoing litigation against GSK [Paxil] products liability litigation (MDL-1574)] have revealed that GlaxoSmithKline, the drug’s manufacturer, was aware of the potential link between the antidepressant and birth defects as early as 1980, but failed to recall the drug or properly warn about its dangers until these risks were made public by researchers.

“Despite evidence suggesting that Paxil could cause birth defects, GlaxoSmithKline deliberately chose not to conduct studies that would have uncovered the true dangers of the drug,” says David Friend of Hissey Kientz, LLP. “It is impossible to say how many lives were drastically altered because of the company’s failure to heed the advice of experts and investigate the link between Paxil and birth defects.”

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