The time to file a claim for compensation for children born with congenital heart defects as a result of exposure to Paxil is running out.
New York, NY (1888PressRelease) March 18, 2010 - It appears that the time to seek compensation for birth defects allegedly caused by exposure to the antidepressant Paxil during pregnancy is running out. DrugSettlement.com reports that court records indicate many cases have been resolved and have been removed from the docket. Parents who took Paxil during pregnancy and gave birth to a child with a congenital heart defect should act quickly to determine whether they my file a claim on behalf of their child.
No Paxil birth defect cases have been tried since the October 13, 2009, verdict where a jury awarded $2.5M to the family of Lyam Kilker, a child born with a congenital heart defect caused by Paxil use during pregnancy. Though multiple trials were scheduled for December, January and February, not one even began trial. It is presumed that these cases, all alleging heart birth defects caused by exposure to Paxil during pregnancy, were settled by GSK.
Since Paxil came on the market in 1992, if has faced three significant litigations. GSK resolved approximately150 suicide cases reportedly for an average of $2 million. Other cases including 300 cases where it was alleged that consumers attempted suicide were settled for approximately $300,000, according to a December 14, 2009 report by Bloomberg News.
In cases alleging withdrawal problems, GSK faced approximately 3200 cases for which it settled for an average of about $50,000.
GSK has also paid about $400 million to end antitrust, fraud and design claims, Bloomberg reports. Since 1992, Glaxo has paid out close to $1 billion to resolve Paxil lawsuits. It has been reported that it may now be trying to resolve the nearly 800 birth defect cases now confronting it.