Court Nixes Lawsuits Alleging Zoloft, Birth Defect Connection

A federal judge has dismissed a major portion of the lawsuits accusing Pfizer of failing to warn about possible birth defects associated with taking the antidepressant Zoloft during pregnancy.

Judge Cynthia M. Rufe of the U.S. District Court for the District of Eastern Pennsylvania granted Pfizer’s motion of summary judgment in the multidistrict litigation, agreeing with the drugmaker that none of the experts who testified on behalf of more than 300 plaintiffs could establish a link between taking Zoloft and birth defects.

Rufe also took issue with the quality of evidence plaintiffs had submitted opposing Pfizer’s request for summary judgment. “Aside from issues such as the submission of duplicative exhibits and untranslated foreign-language documents, statements and documents relating to the development, marketing costs, and profitability of Zoloft are irrelevant to the question of whether Zoloft can cause birth defects,” she wrote in her April 5 opinion.