According to a July 4, 2011, piece in the New York Times, an article published in the Archives of General Psychiatry reported “an elevated risk of autism in children whose mothers took a popular type of antidepressant during the year before delivery.” These drugs, so-called SSRIs, include Paxil (paroxetine). According to the Times, “Dr. Joseph Coyle, the editor in chief of the psychiatry journal, called the [study] ‘[a] game changer….’”
Previous studies have attributed to Paxil birth defects in children born to mothers who were taking the drug while pregnant. These include: clubbed foot; cleft lip/palate; delayed development; persistent pulmonary hypertension; gastrochisis; heart defects; skull defects; and brain/spinal cord defects. Moreover, Paxil can cause premature birth or even miscarriage. And a child exposed to Paxil in utero can experience withdrawal symptoms after birth.
The new site, http://www.paxilbirthdefectlaw.com, has features that allow for easy sharing, including links for automatic posting on Facebook and Twitter, specifically to enable visitors to spread the word about Paxil and the dangers of the drug. The Rottenstein Law Group, a personal injury firm, encourages visitors to link to its sites from their own blogs and Web sites to spread information about defective medical products and dangerous drugs.
At the Capital Research Center, Martin Morse Wooster takes a critical view of the role of personal injury lawyers in this issue.
