Zofran, also known as Ondansetran, a drug used to control nausea and vomiting for morning sickness or cancer treatment, has been shown to increase the risk of some birth defects.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recognized the dangers that this medication poses to pregnant mothers and the children they are expecting. The administration suggests Diclegis as an FDA-approved alternative to Zofran for morning sickness.
What Birth Defects Can Zofran Cause?
According to recent studies, the following birth defects have been found in mothers that use Zofran:
- Heart defects are twice as likely to occur with this medication. Known heart defects caused by Zofran are atrial septal defect (ASD), heart murmur and ventricle septal defect (VSD). Both ASD and VSD are “hole in the heart” defects.
- Mouth deformities, such as cleft palate and cleft lip, have shown a 2.4 rate of increase with Zofran, according to a National Birth Defects Prevention Study.
- Jaundice, which causes the pigment of the skin and the whites of the eyes to yellow.
- Kidney malformations
- Musculoskeletal defects
- Fetal growth restrictions
- Fetal death
Overall, Zofran shows a 30 percent increase for the risk of birth defects, according to a 2013 report by Danish researchers, which evaluated 900,000 pregnant women.
Check back with us in the future as we regularly inform our readers of medication that is dangerous to newborns. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter to see how we help children that have been injured by pharmaceutical and healthcare malpractice.
Farrell & Patel – Birth Injury Lawyers
