St. Louis Lawyer Jeff Lowe Featured in Paxil Birth Defect Article
Jeff Lowe, a partner with the St. Louis law firm Carey, Danis & Lowe, was quoted in a recent Lawyers & Settlements article discussing the link between the antidepressant Paxil and birth defects.
In the April 27 article, Lowe urged mothers who took Paxil during the first trimester of their pregnancy and whose children were born with birth defects to consider contacting an attorney.
The primary birth defects linked to Paxil, made by GlaxoSmithKline, are persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN) and cardiac defects.
Paxil is part of a class of drugs known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Lowe notes that initial studies did not find a connection between SSRIs and birth defects.
"Then some studies began finding a connection between Paxil and birth defects such as PPHN and cardiac defects. GlaxoSmithKline had a database they were keeping that was based on their own studies. In 2006, they published their online database, which demonstrated a higher risk in major malformations for infants exposed to Paxil in the first trimester. Additional independent peer reviewed studies confirmed the link."Paxil's warning was changed in 2005 [to include the risk of birth defects]. There was an FDA warning letter issued on December 8, 2005 and a Dear Doctor letter issued in September 2005."
Lowe noted that since the child is the one most impacted by the allegedly defective drug, in most states the time limits imposed on when suit may be filed often doesn’t begin to run until he or she reaches 18 or 21.
If you or a loved one has experienced a Paxil birth defect, contact the attorneys of Carey Danis & Lowe. We can help. Carey Danis & Lowe is a national law firm that represents individuals injured by America’s largest corporations.