Zofran (ondansetron) was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in patients who were suffering nausea after chemotherapy treatments.
Unfortunately, many physicians, with encouragement by Glaxo Smith Kline(GSK), have been prescribing the drug for what is known as “off label uses” including morning sickness in early months of pregnancy. Many physicians prescribed Zofran in good faith without fully understanding the medication was never approved by the FDA for use in expecting mothers, especially early in pregnancy.
There is little doubt that morning sickness is extremely serious and some mothers can suffer other side effects like dehydration if they have morning sickness for a prolonged period of time.
However, when an expectant mother is prescribed a drug by her physician to ease symptoms, she also has a reasonable expectation to be told about any side effects that she can anticipate as well as potential dangers to her developing baby.
Unfortunately, mothers were never advised of some of the potential risks of taking Zofran while pregnant to their developing fetuses. Serious birth defects have been linked to Zofran taken while pregnant which include:
Legal help and possible compensation is available to mothers and babies affected by Zofran. If you are one of the millions of mothers who took Zofran during pregnancy and your baby was born with a birth defect, contact a Zofran lawyer today at 1-800-BadDrug | 800-22-3784 for a free consultation.
