You could certainly file this one under too little, too
late. Fifty years after the morning
sickness drug, Thalidomide, caused birth defects, its German manufacturer, Grünenthal,
apologized. In a brief apology ceremony,
the manufacturer, who had largely been silent about its dangerous drug for
FIFTY YEARS unveiled a statue of a child with shortened arms and said simply,
they offered “our sincere regrets about the consequences of Thalidomide and our
deep sympathy for all those affected.”
For those of you who remember, in the 1950’s and 1960’s,
Thalidomide was the newest hottest drug that was touted as the answer to
solving women’s morning sickness. And
then expectant mother after expectant mother began to give birth to children
with birth defects. These children were
born with shortened and malformed arms which prompted many journalists to call
them “flipper babies.”
This heartbreaking situation has been a case study in what
NOT to do. Fifty years of silence and a
slap dash ceremony does not inspire trust in a pharmaceutical company. Nor does it inspire forgiveness. In fact, recent headlines echo the same
sentiment: survivors reject the apology.
COULD THIS BE THE
RESULT OF THE SSRI ANTIDEPRESSANT LAWSUITS
The major manufacturers of serotonin reuptake inhibitorantidepressants (SSRI’s) like Zoloft,
Paxil, Prozac, Celexa, Lexapro, Luvox, and Viibryd could very well take some
lessons in this situation. Address your
victims now. Don’t let fifty years go by
before you apologize. You may find that
your audience won’t be as accepting or welcoming of your apology.
SSRI’s are currently facing their first waves of lawsuits,
where attorneys are presenting case after case of expectant mothers who have
given birth to children with birth defects as a result of taking their
drug. When the lawsuits are done and the
dust settles, will the drug manufacturers step up and do the right thing?
IF YOUR MEDICATION
HAS CAUSED YOU TO GIVE BIRTH TO A CHILD WITH BIRTH DEFECTS
If you’re a new parent who has given birth to a child with
birth defects, it may be your medication that caused it. Have a frank and honest discussion with your
primary care physician and discuss the medications you or your loved one may
have taken during pregnancy. If you were
unaware of the side effects that these medications produce, you’re not
alone. And you may be entitled to
compensation. If you’d like to discuss
your options, call our law firm today and we’ll guide you through the
process. It may not be enough for you to
get an apology fifty years too late.
