Depakote Birth Defect Lawsuits Filed Against Abbott Laboratories

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More than 50 women have filed a Depakote lawsuit in recent weeks, claiming that use of the epilepsy drug during pregnancy caused their children to be born with birth defects. 

The Depakote birth defect lawsuits have been filed in two batches in St. Clair County Circuit Court against Abbott Laboratories; the manufacturer. The first group was filed in December on behalf about two dozen parents nationwide, and the second group was filed late last month on behalf of another 26 parents.

All of the lawsuits claim that side effects of Depakote use during pregnancy caused the children to suffer spina bifida, cleft palate, heart defects or other birth deformations. The parents allege that Abbott Laboratories knew or should have known about the risk of birth defects from Depakote and failed to warn doctors and parents.

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Depakote (valproic acid) is an anti-seizure drug approved by FDA in 1983 for the treatment of epilepsy. It belongs to a class of drugs based on valproate; which includes Depacon, Stavzor, and the first drug in the class, Depakene, which was first approved in 1978. It is also often used to treat bipolar disorder and depression.

In 2006, the FDA added a “black box” warning about the potential risk of a Depakote birth defects after a study found that 20% of pregnant mothers who gave birth while on Depakote had a child with malformations or a birth defect.

In May 2010, researchers found that Depakote side effects for unborn babies could be caused by using the drug as early as the first trimester, which means that by the time many women discover they are pregnant, it could be too late to get off the drug and avoid birth defects for their unborn child.

Tags: Abbott, Birth Defect, Children, Depacon, Depakene, Depakote, Depakote Birth Defect, Epilepsy, Epilepsy Drug, Product Liability, Spina Bifida, Stavzor, Valproate
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5 Comments

lorraine
Hello,,because of this med my son was born with trigonocephaly two operations for this. Has hypospadius had corrective surgery for this,,,congential heart defects, abnormal growth growing in the heart, trigger finger, crossed over twos, eye ears and throat issues, arnold chiria malformation of spine and neck, hypotomia, developmental delay, adhd, ocd, tics, might have tourettes, odd, autism traites…growth delay….VA SYNDROME…..and each and every year it seems that something pops up….not enjoying this VPA ride at all….good luck everyone…
Diana
I have two children 3 children that was taking Tegretal, Depakote, or both when I was pregnant. My oldest 19 is said to have affects from Tegretol, but not the syndrome itself. He has Asperger’s, developmental delays, and a connective tissue disorder that has still to be diagnosised. My 16 year old son has been diagnosised with Fetal Valproate Syndrome. He has the facial and other characteristics of the syndrome. He has Asperger’s, ID or developmental delays, and short term memory problems. He also had a hyperspadius and surgery on both of his eyes for lazy eye when he was young. We are also looking into bladder problems as well. My youngest who is 12 years has moderate Autism, ID or developmental delays, Tourette Syndrome, OCD, and had problems with her right side coordination. Which has much improved through speech therapy which all our kids had. She also had hypotonia and had to wear special shoes. She has also been diagnosised with Tegretal/Depakote Syndrome. WE are currently dealing with intermittent incontinence of the bladder and are trying to find information if that might also be part of the syndrome. For many of you that have young children who want to know what possible long term effects you might want to watch for down the road, I hope this information is helpful. I wish we had it. Is there a statue of limitation on filing a lawsuit? We might be too late to do a lawsuit.
brenda
stop taking depakote! After my first child was born which healthy, I ad seizure n was put on depakote. 2nd baby miscarraige….3rd baby crainosynotosis n cerebral palsey…..4th baby severe autism n died age 4 months……5th baby lillte hannah age 7 has autism…..would hav never taken it if warned……my poor babies…
katie
I was taking depakote when i found out i was pregnant with my first child and he was born with multiple birth defects. After he was born i went back on depakote, a couple years and then stopped a year later i got pregnant with my second child. she was born perfectly healthy. i would say her development was fine because i stopped taking it. almost all medications are dangerous to a developing fetus so stop before you try.
Elizabeth
I am just wondering as I am currently taking depakote er for bipolar disorder and am not currently pregnant. My partner and I are planning within the next to years for a child would it still have adverse effects if I take it up until pregnancy or should I stop taking it now?

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