Share Button

Prescription drugs while pregnant may cause birth defects. Learn more about Anticonvulsants and Antidepressants that attorneys may link to drug use while pregnant.

Before new prescription medication can enter the market for consumer use, it must meet the standards and adhere to the regulations set forth by the Food and Drug Administration. However, many pharmaceutical companies find and take advantage of loop holes in order to push the drug onto the market as soon as possible. One such practice involves hiding the more serious side effects of the drug to increase the likelihood of approval by the FDA. We, as consumers, assume that FDA approved drugs are safe to treat our diseases and symptoms, aside from minor side effects. Unfortunately, there are some prescribed medications that have been found to cause severe side effects for consumers and the damages may actually outweigh the benefits of the drug.

Because drug manufacturing companies may try to conceal the dangers of their products, consumers could be inadvertently putting their health at risk. Some of the more severe side effects of taking certain prescription medication include gallbladder disease, heart attack, Crohn’s disease, stroke, and other serious conditions. Other drugs may be linked to birth defects in babies born to mothers taking medication during pregnancy. These birth defects include cleft palate, cleft lip, developmental delays, fetal death, growth retardation, hand deformation, heart malformation, hydranencephaly, hypoplasia, iniencephaly, neural tube defects, skeletal defects, and spina bifida. Consumers that develop severe side effects and babies born with birth defects may need surgical procedures and/or life-long care.

Birth Defect Liability of Prescription Drug Manufacturers

Even after drugs are approved by the FDA to enter the market, drug manufacturing companies are accountable for the safety and effectiveness of their products. Prescription medication companies should also be held responsible for severe conditions caused by dangerous side effects of their drugs. Consumers are bombarded with new medications each year making it virtually impossible to know every detail including side effects that may cause serious harm to our health. Oftentimes, severe side effects are discovered only after the drug has been released to the market and consumers have developed these conditions. The FDA usually reacts by making amendments and restrictions to their approval but unfortunately the damages have already been done, leaving some consumers living with their injuries from medications for life. Victims of prescription drug injuries deserve compensation for health damages caused by medication made by negligent manufacturers. The best way to find out about legal rights of affected consumers is to find a drug injury lawyer who can explain and review lawsuit and compensation options.

Birth Defect Lawsuit Representation

Most consumers assume that a serious condition resulting from a side effect of prescribed medication would be covered by their insurance companies. Oftentimes insurance companies will reject claims or offer far less compensation than what is deserved in order to pay out the least amount possible. Other times insurance claims will be delayed, hoping victims will give up and discontinue pursuing compensation. To prevent this from happening, injured consumers should seek professional legal aid from prescription drug attorneys to hold irresponsible manufacturers accountable for damages done by their dangerous products.

Filing A Lawsuit

Side effects leading to birth defects from prescribed medication can cause life-changing and harmful conditions. Injured consumers are not at fault and deserve compensation for the lack of information provided by drug manufacturing companies about their products. Seeking expert advice and legal aid from a drug injury lawyer can alleviate the stress of dealing with a serious disorder. Filing lawsuits for deserved compensation will also promote stricter regulations and bring attention to dangerous side effects of prescription drugs. If you or a loved one took prescription medication while pregnant and a baby was born with birth defects, an experienced drug injury attorney can explain your compensation and lawsuit options.