Topamax Cleft Palate Lawsuit
Families with a child who developed cleft palate or cleft lip birth defects following the mother’s use of Topamax during pregnancy are urged to look into their legal rights including Topamax cleft palate lawsuit claims. Some women who used Topamax during pregnancy to treat depression were unaware that their child could develop serious Topamax birth defects. There are different treatment options for a child with orofacial clefts and some of those options are outlined below. If you took Topamax during your pregnancy and your child develop a cleft lip or cleft palate please contact us for a free no-obligation consultation regarding your legal options and the latest Topamax lawsuits news.
The following is question and answer information from the FDA for consumers related to Topamax cleft palate birth defects.
Q1. What is Topamax (topiramate)?
Topiramate is an approved medication used to treat patients with epilepsy who have certain types of seizures. Topiramate is also approved for use to prevent migraine headaches, but not to relieve the pain of migraine headaches when they occur.1
Q2. Why is FDA warning patients about topiramate?
FDA has received new data from the North American Antiepileptic Drug (NAAED) Pregnancy Registry that show an increased risk of oral clefts (cleft lip and/or palate) in infants who are exposed to topiramate during the first trimester of pregnancy. Similar findings have also been noted in another pregnancy registry in the United Kingdom. Oral clefts are defects in the formation of the upper lip and/or roof of the mouth. Oral clefts can affect the way a child’s face looks, and can lead to problems with eating, talking, and/or ear infections. Most infants born with oral clefts undergo surgery to close the lip and/or palate during their first year of life.2 Oral clefts happen early in pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant. Oral clefts also occur in infants whose mothers did not take topiramate or other medications during pregnancy, but they occur less often.
After considering the recent NAAED Pregnancy Registry data, FDA will be reclassifying topiramate as a Pregnancy Category D drug.
Topamax Lawsuits
If you or a loved one used Topamax while pregnant, and have a child who was born with a cleft palate or cleft lip birth defect, you may be eligible to file a Topamax lawsuit. We are a national firm that is currently investigating cases for our clients. Please call us for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your legal options and the latest Topamax cleft palate lawsuit news.