Topamax Lawsuits
Families with an infant or child who developed cleft palate or cleft lip birth defects following the mother’s use of Topamax during pregnancy continue to look into Topamax lawsuits. Some women who took Topamax during pregnancy 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.
The following is data summary information from the FDA for consumers related to Topamax birth defects.
Data from the North American Antiepileptic Drug (NAAED) Pregnancy Registry indicate an increased risk of oral clefts in infants exposed to topiramate monotherapy during the first trimester of pregnancy. The prevalence of oral clefts was 1.4% compared to a prevalence of 0.38% – 0.55% in infants exposed to other antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), and a prevalence of 0.07 % in infants of mothers without epilepsy or treatment with other AEDs. The relative risk of oral clefts in topiramate-exposed pregnancies in the NAAED Pregnancy Registry was 21.3 as compared to the risk in a background population of untreated women (95% Confidence Interval:7.9 – 57.1). The UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register reported a similarly increased prevalence of oral clefts (3.2 %) among infants exposed to topiramate monotherapy, a 16-fold increase in risk compared to the risk in their background population (0.2%).
The benefits and the risks of topiramate should be carefully weighed when prescribing this drug for women of childbearing age, particularly when topiramate is considered for a condition not usually associated with permanent injury or death. Appropriate alternative treatment should be considered . Inform women of childbearing age of the increased risk for having a baby with an oral cleft if they become pregnant while using topiramate.
Cleft lip and cleft palate range from a small notch in the lip to a groove that runs into the roof of the mouth and nose, possibly leading to problems with eating, talking and ear infections. Surgery is often used to close the lip and palate. With treatment, most children with cleft lip or palate do well.3
1. U.S. National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health. Topiramate monograph. Available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/meds/a697012.html2. Accessed January 6, 2011.
2. SDI, Vector One®: National (VONA) and Total Patient Tracker (TPT). January 2007-December 2010. Data extracted 2-9-11
3. U.S. National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health. Cleft Lip and Palate health topic. Available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cleftlipandpalate.html3. Accessed January 6, 2011.
Lawsuits Against Topamax
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 Topamax lawsuits. 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 lawsuit settlements news.