Lexapro Lawsuit Information

Lexapro (escitalopram) is an antidepressant drug made by Forest Laboratories and its parent company, Allergan. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Lexapro in 2002. Since then, millions of patients have taken the medication.

Doctors prescribe Lexapro to patients ages 12 and older who suffer from major depressive disorder. Lexapro is also used to treat adult patients who suffer from generalized anxiety disorder.

Scientists have linked Lexapro and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) to dangerous health issues. Thousands of patients have filed Lexapro lawsuits in state and federal courts.

This article will describe some of the health risks and side effects of Lexapro. It will also discuss the current status of Lexapro litigation.

Injuries from Lexapro

There is evidence that Lexapro causes a host of medical complications for regular patients and pregnant women. Some of these health issues are relatively minor, such as heartburn. Others may be quite serious and life-threatening.

Some patients have developed heart defects after using Lexapro. Others have reported birth defects, congenital disabilities, and suicidal behavior in their Lexapro lawsuits.

Some of these severe side effects and birth abnormalities include:

• Cleft palate/cleft lip
• Club foot
• Spina bifida
• Dangerous heart syndromes

If you took Lexapro or another antidepressant medication and became sick, you may have a valid personal injury claim.

Some of the other antidepressants that cause medical issues include Paxil and Celexa. These drugs, like Lexapro, are the subject of recent class-action lawsuits.

Birth Defects

Many pregnant women who took Lexapro had babies with congenital disabilities. The National Birth Defects Prevention Study found a link between pregnant women taking Lexapro and health risks in their infants.

Women who took an SSRI drug during the first trimester had an increased risk of having an infant with the following health issues:

• Omphalocele: The liver, intestines, or other organs protrude outside the belly button.
• Craniosynostosis: One or more of the skull's cranial sutures have prematurely joined.
• Anencephaly: A part of the skull, brain, or cap is absent.

Another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that pregnant women who took SSRI drugs after their 20th week of pregnancy were six times more likely to have a child with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). Infants with PPHN have trouble breathing and, in some cases, die from this condition.

Risk of Suicide

Lexapro and other antidepressants can lead to suicidal thoughts and behavior. For this reason, the FDA requires that Lexapro carry a black box warning about the risk of suicide.

According to the FDA's rules, a black box warning is for drugs that may cause death or severe injury. These black box warnings involve cases where a medication carries a high risk of medical complications.

The fact that the FDA required this sort of warning on Lexapro sends a clear message to patients that the drug can be dangerous.

Lexapro Lawsuit Matters

Under product liability law, drug manufacturers must ensure their medications are safe. They can be liable for injuries if a drug is unreasonably dangerous or defective.

In the Lexapro cases, plaintiffs claimed Forest Laboratories provided defective warnings about the drug's health risks. These plaintiffs argue that if they had known the risks, they wouldn't have taken the drug.

Other plaintiffs have filed wrongful death actions in cases where their babies died from congenital disabilities. Plaintiffs also filed wrongful death lawsuits in cases where patients died by suicide.

Status of Lexapro Lawsuits

Most plaintiffs in the Lexapro lawsuits filed their cases in state court. But, the federal courts consolidated the claims into two separate multi-district litigation matters. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri oversaw these cases.

As of September 2018, the parties had settled almost all cases. The judge dismissed many claims, too. The last time there were any updates in the litigation was in November 2022.

Filing a Lexapro Lawsuit

Even before litigation against Forest Laboratories started in 2013, drug sales plummeted. This happened for two significant reasons. First, whenever people sue a drugmaker, people are afraid to take their medications. Second, the generic version of Lexapro became available in 2012.

Some patients still take Lexapro. Now that there is a black box warning on the drug, the number of lawsuits has decreased. If you become sick after using Lexapro or any other antidepressant, you may still have a valid claim. The best thing to do is call a product liability attorney and schedule your free case review.