Pfizer wins Zoloft birth defects lawsuit
pharmafile | October 12, 2015 | News story | Sales and Marketing | Pfizer, Zoloft, birth defects, lawsuits, sertraline
Judges in the US have dismissed a lawsuit against Pfizer that had claimed that the use of its antidepressant Zoloft during pregnancy caused birth defects.
Philadelphia state court Judge Mark Bernstein granted a summary judgment to Pfizer and dismissed the case. The decision comes after Pfizer has won two similar cases this year, brought by families contesting similar cases.
The latest case had been brought by a couple over the alleged risks of birth defects from Zoloft (sertraline), which they claimed had caused their son to be born with congenital birth defects and nine weeks premature, according to court documents.
Pfizer says: “Today’s summary judgment ruling, which follows two jury verdicts in recent months in favour of Pfizer in the Zoloft litigation, affirms that that there is no reliable scientific evidence demonstrating that Zoloft causes the injuries alleged by the plaintiffs.”
In June a jury favoured Pfizer in another case in a Philadelphia court brought on behalf of Mia Robinson, who was born with a heart defect, Lawyers also argued that the birth defects were linked to her mother use of Zoloft during pregnancy.
The jury found in Pfizer’s favour even after hearing testimony that company researchers found more than a dozen side-effect reports about birth defects, and despite concluding that Zoloft couldn’t be ruled out as a cause.
And in April a jury in St Louis found in Pfizer’s favour in the case of 11-year-old boy, Logyn Pesante, whose family was asking for $2.7 million in compensation for health problems caused by congenital birth defects, including heart defects.
Pfizer has insisted that it has been open about safety issues associated with Zoloft, and maintains that there is insufficient epidemiological evidence to link the drug to birth defects.
However, the FDA recently asked the company to add information about likely links to birth defects on the Zoloft label.
Yasmita Kumar
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