Women who used the migraine and epilepsy drug Depakote while pregnant and gave birth to a child with neural tube defects or other birth defects may be eligible to file a Depakote lawsuit on behalf of their child. The Food and Drug Administration has issued warnings that pregnant women who use Depakote are more likely to give birth to a child with birth defects, including neural tube defects.

Patients who took Depakote during the first trimester of their pregnancy are four times more likely to give birth to a child with neural tube defects—including spina bifida and anencephaly—compared to users of other epilepsy drugs. Compared to the general population, Depakote users were 80 times more likely to give birth to have a baby with birth defects.

In addition to neural tube defects such as spina bifida, research published by the FDA and the New England Journal of Medicine has linked Depakote to a number of other side effects, including heart defects such as atrial or ventricular septal defects and tetralogy of Fallot, cleft palate, hypospadias and craniosynostosis.

The federal government and dozens of U.S. states have filed Depakote lawsuits against Abbott Pharmaceuticals—the manufacturer of the drug—for illegally promoting their product as a treatment for conditions that were not approved by the FDA. Pregnant women whose children were born with birth defects may have been prescribed Depakote for conditions that were the subject of these allegedly illegal promotions.

If you or a loved one used Depakote while pregnant and gave birth to a child with neural tube defects or other birth defects, contact the lawyers at Hissey Kientz, LLP for a free evaluation of your legal rights. You can reach us by calling toll-free at 1-866-275-4454, or by filling out the free case evaluation form located on this page.