Topamax (generic: topiramate) is an anticonvulsant drug approved for the management of certain types of seizures. It is also approved for the prevention of migraine headaches. According to information collected by the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry, babies exposed to Topamax before birth are nearly four times more likely to be born with cleft lip or cleft palate (collectively called oral clefts) than babies whose mothers received no treatment. When compared to babies exposed to antiepileptic drugs other than Topamax, the risk associated with Topamax was still more than triple that of other treatments.
FDA Safety Warning for Topamax
In March 2011, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a safety warning regarding the increased risk of cleft palate and cleft lip for babies exposed to Topamax in utero. The FDA advised healthcare professionals to carefully weigh the benefits and risks of Topamax for treatment in women of childbearing age, due to its possible adverse effects should a patient become pregnant.
Your Baby’s Rights
If your baby was born with an oral cleft that may have been caused by exposure to Topamax before birth, your family deserves financial compensation. Although no amount of money can change what happened to your baby, compensation will help offset the current and future medical costs, as well as provide for the pain and suffering you and your baby have experienced.
Filing a claim will also teach the manufacturers of unsafe medications that it is unacceptable to not warn parents of the risks associated with these drugs, including serious birth defects. Your suit may even prevent other families from suffering as yours has, by forcing the pharmaceutical company to change their drug’s label to warn parents of the potential risks.
Contact Us
You may be eligible for compensation to ease the financial burdens associated with your baby’s injury. Contact us today to set up a free consultation, during which we will listen to your story, answer any questions you may have and discuss your legal rights and options. If you choose us to represent you, we will work with you on a contingency fee basis; this means you pay nothing until we have secured compensation for you, either through a jury verdict or settlement.
Learn More
FDA Says Anti-Epilepsy Drugs Topamax and Depakote Cause Birth Defects
Michael Brady Lynch Lectures at 360 Advocacy Institute Topamax Summit
Consumer Alert! Topamax Linked to Birth Defects Including Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate
