Expectant North Carolina mothers may want to be wary of taking certain anti-depressants during pregnancy. A faulty drug case will soon be tried in federal court where parents are alleging that their child's congenital birth defects might have been the result of the mother taking Zoloft.

Zoloft is manufactured by Pfizer, a corporation that does business in North Carolina. Pfizer, as defendant, was alleged to have manufactured a defective drug, failed to have provided adequate warnings for the medication, and violate express warranties.

The lawsuit alleges that children born to mothers that have been ingesting Zoloft are prone to being born with congenital birth defects, malformations and other related conditions and often suffer from pulmonary hypertension. Knowing of the widespread use of Zoloft for depression related symptoms, if the above allegations are correct than we are only talking about the tip of the iceberg concerning litigation that Pfizer will face. Zoloft has likely been prescribed for many other expectant mothers as well.

We've earlier written on this blog concerning drugs linked to birth defects and the devastating consequences that follow. Many congenital birth defects can lead to a lifetime of suffering for the child, and an enormous emotional and financial burden for the parents that they may not be able to sustain.

Drug manufacturers have often made millions of dollars lobbying to have certain medications approved by legislators before fully researching possible side effects. Such manufacturers should be held accountable by litigants and their attorneys in a court-of-law. Compensation for plaintiffs will at least make the ordeal that the parents and child will have to endure somewhat more bearable. And it may coerce manufacturers to do a better job of researching such medications in the future.

Source: The Louisiana Record, "Lawsuit claims baby's congenital birth defects linked to mother's use of Zoloft," by Michelle Keahey, Feb. 13, 2012