There are over 60 lawsuits pending against GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), maker of Zofran (ondansetron), by the parents of babies who suffered birth defects after their mothers took the drug to relieve morning sickness during pregnancy. On October 13, 2015, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation issued a transfer order consolidating all pending and future Zofran birth defect lawsuits into multidistrict litigation (MDL) No. 2657. It is a victory for the plaintiffs, centralizing the lawsuits in the District of Massachusetts before US District Court Judge Dennis F. Saylor, IV.
Not a Class Action
In MDL the lawsuits remain separate, but the process is streamlined. There is one judge for all of the cases, instead of multiple judges, and pre-trial aspects, such as discovery can be combined. MDL makes it easier to file claims and makes the process of handling complex cases less costly and time-consuming.
Plaintiff’s in the Zofran cases all believe that the drug caused birth defects in babies whose mothers were prescribed the drug to treat nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP). They allege that GSK marketed the drug off-label, while knowing about and failing to warn doctors and patients about the risks.
Zofran is not and never has been approved to treat NVP. In 2012, settled a government action without admitting any wrongdoing related to this and other matters.
To learn more about Zofran birth defect lawsuits and your rights, please talk to an experienced defective drug attorney right away.
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