Our law firm is considering a wider range of injuries to bring lawsuits for as the medical profession pays more attention finally to what types of birth defects Zofran exposure in the womb can cause.
Zofran, known generically as ondansetron, is prescribed by doctors for morning sickness, even though Zofran has never been approved by the FDA for this cause of nausea and vomiting. Since the drug has long been off patent, there are many generic manufacturers, and the drug is sold under the name ondansetron.
Recent medical articles report on the incidence of certain types of serious birth defects which are statistically increased when women use Zofran in the first 10 weeks or the first trimester of pregnancy.
The Heart: A variety of septal defects have been found to be associated with Zofran use-up to 4 times greater risk than in non-drug users. Septal refers to the septums in the heart which wall off one chamber from another. The defects, which are primarily a hole where there should have been a closing can be in the atrium, the ventrical or in both.
The Face: A cleft lip or cleft palate has also been strongly associated with the use of Zofran. The mechanism, again, is the failure of the final growth needed to join parts together.
Other Defects: Medical science is a long way from ascertaining all of the damage that Zofran can cause the developing fetus. Hence our firm is looking at other cases where serious malformations have been noted. This includes microphthalmia (undeveloped eye), and restricted growth.
We would also like to bring to the attention of the public and the bar that there are other drugs in the same class of ondansetron which may present the same risk of birth defects. These too are not labeled for use in morning sickness but in fact are prescribed for it on occasion. These include granisetron, which is sold under various trade names, including Kytril, Granisol and Sancuso.
