Zofran Birth Defects Lawsuits Progress, As Federal Court Allows Direct Filing in Multidistrict Litigation, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports

January 4, 2016 - At least 200 federally-filed Zofran lawsuits (http://www.rxinjuryhelp.com/zofran/lawsuit/) involving the medication's alleged association with serious birth defects have begun to move forward in a multidistrict litigation now underway in the U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts. According to an Order dated December 17th, the Court is now allowing any plaintiff whose case would be subject to transfer to the multidistrict litigation to file their complaint directly in the District of Massachusetts. (In Re Zofran Products Liability Litigation – MDL 2657)

"Direct filing in the multidistrict litigation will help promote judicial efficiency by preventing delays associated with the transfer of Zofran birth defects cases filed in or removed from other federal jurisdictions," says Sandy A. Liebhard, a partner at Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is currently offering free, no-obligation Zofran lawsuit consultations to any family whose child may have been born with a congenital heart abnormality, cleft lip or palate, or other major birth defect due to pre-natal Zofran exposure.

Zofran Litigation
The federal Zofran litigation was created this past October by the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) in order to allow all federally-filed product liability lawsuits involving the medication's alleged association with birth defects to undergo coordinated pretrial proceedings. All of the cases currently pending in the proceeding claim that use of Zofran during the first trimester of pregnancy increases the risk that a baby will be born with major congenital abnormalities, including heart malformations, oral clefts and more. GlaxoSmithKline is accused of concealing this danger, and of failing to warn doctors and patients about the potential for these serious side effects. Plaintiffs further allege that Glaxo improperly marketed Zofran as a safe and effective remedy for pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting, even though it has never been approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for this purpose.

Zofran is an anti-nausea medication that is only indicated to treat post-operative surgery patients, as well as those undergoing certain cancer treatments. In 2012, GlaxoSmithKline agreed to pay $3 billion to resolve illegal marketing charges with the U.S. Department of Justice that involved a number of its medications. Among other things, the company had been accused of promoting Zofran as an off-label treatment for pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting. While doctors may prescribe FDA-approved medications for any purpose they deem appropriate, pharmaceutical manufacturers are legally prohibited from marketing their products for unapproved indications.

Children allegedly harmed as a result of pre-natal Zofran exposure may be entitled to compensation from GlaxoSmithKline. To contact an attorney about filing a Zofran birth defects claim, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website, or call the Firm directly at 800-511-5092.

About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993. As a national law firm, Bernstein Liebhard LLP possesses all of the legal and financial resources required to successfully challenge billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical device companies. As a result, our attorneys and legal staff have been able to recover more than $3.5 billion on behalf of our clients. The Firm was named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs' Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list for a dozen consecutive years.

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ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2016 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, 800-511-5092. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

Contact Information:
Sandy A. Liebhard, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info (at)consumerinjurylawyers(dot)com
http://www.rxinjuryhelp.com/
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