Baum Hedlund Files Lawsuit Against Paxil-Maker on Behalf of Child Born with Severe Heart Defects.PHILADELPHIA -- Baum Hedlund filed a lawsuit today against Philadelphia-based GlaxoSmithKline ("GSK GSK GlaxoSmithKline plc (pharmaceutical company) GSK Glycogen Synthase Kinase GSK Gruppentraining Sozialer Kompetenzen (Germany) GSK Greenland Shark (FAO fish species code) "), the maker of Paxil, in Pennsylvania State Court, on behalf of its clients Anthony and Matilda Vasquez of Bedford, Texas, and their son Adrian. The family alleges that Mrs. Vasquez's ingestion ingestion /in·ges·tion/ (-chun) the taking of food, drugs, etc., into the body by mouth. in·ges·tion n. 1. The act of taking food and drink into the body by the mouth. 2. of Paxil during her pregnancy resulted in her son being born with severe heart defects. The Vasquez family is seeking an unspecified amount of damages against GSK for failing to warn about the risks associated with Paxil for pregnant women and their unborn children. Two-year-old Adrian has undergone three open-heart surgeries and now has a pacemaker. His mother took the antidepressant antidepressant, any of a wide range of drugs used to treat psychic depression. They are given to elevate mood, counter suicidal thoughts, and increase the effectiveness of psychotherapy. Paxil throughout her entire pregnancy. According to Baum Hedlund attorney Karen Barth Menzies, who represents the family: "Adrian Vasquez is a tough little boy. The trauma he has endured in his brief two years of life is much more than most of us will ever have to suffer in our entire lifetime. The seriousness of these birth defects birth defects, abnormalities in physical or mental structure or function that are present at birth. They range from minor to seriously deforming or life-threatening. A major defect of some type occurs in approximately 3% of all births. are such that, at the very first sign of danger, GSK should have issued a strong warning. Over 1 percent--or 40,000--pregnant women in the US are taking antidepressants Antidepressants Medications prescribed to relieve major depression. Classes of antidepressants include selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (fluoxetine/Prozac, sertraline/Zoloft), tricyclics (amitriptyline/ Elavil), MAOIs (phenelzine/Nardil), and heterocyclics . Given the popularity of Paxil, thousands of babies are at risk." During the last month of her pregnancy, Mrs. Vasquez learned, while receiving an ultrasound to determine the sex of her baby, that there was something very wrong with her baby's heart. During the first year of his life, Adrian underwent three open-heart surgeries (at eight days, five months and 10 months) due to his heart defects. Adrian is now two years old and, while he is behind in his verbal and motor skills, his health has improved. Adrian will, however, need repeated heart surgeries as he continues to grow and may need artificial replacement valves, and perhaps eventually a heart transplant. His prognosis is unclear. The Vasquez family is represented by Baum Hedlund, a national pharmaceutical products liability law firm in L.A., D.C. and Philadelphia. The FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. has issued three Public Health Advisories since December 2005 concerning the risk of congenital heart defects Congenital heart defects Congenital means conditions which are present at birth. Congenital heart disease includes a variety of defects that babies are born with. Mentioned in: Heart Failure, Heart Surgery for Congenital Defects and has changed Paxil's pregnancy category from C to D, which indicates that "(t)here is positive evidence of fetal risk." See Fact Sheet at http://www.paxilbirthdefect.com/lawsuit.shtml |
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