03/17/2008 - National Legal News

The mother of a child born with a hole in her heart has filed suit against the drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline, alleging that the antidepressant Paxil was responsible for her daughter’s birth defect.

Faith Gibson’s daughter, Meah, was born in 2005. The hole in the newborn’s heart required immediate surgery and a lengthy hospital stay. During this period, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned of an increased risk of cardiovascular birth defects associated with Paxil.

Gibson claims that she was told by her doctor that taking Paxil during pregnancy was completely safe and that the drug was the only one approved to treat anxiety during pregnancy.

Gibson’s lawsuit alleges that GlaxoSmithKline was aware – or should have been aware – of the significant risk of heart complications the drug posed to newborns when taken by pregnant mothers.

According to Gibson’s attorney, the suit will seek to clarify what and when GlaxoSmithKline knew about the dangers of its drug.

The operation to repair her daughter’s heart has left behind a tremendous scar and an increased vulnerability to infections, claims Gibson.

Gibson’s legal actions were prompted by news reports detailing a similar case.