Morning Sickness Drug Zofran Causes Side Effects
Zofran is a popular drug used to curb nausea after radiation treatment or chemotherapy for cancer. Some doctors prescribe it for pregnant women to address morning sickness. Although the drug became increasingly popular with expectant mothers in recent years it is not approved for morning sickness.
Over the last five years, the manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline has faced hundreds of lawsuits brought by women who claim Zofran caused defects in their babies.
Those suing the drug manufacturer claim Zofran caused serious damage and misery. They point out GlaxoSmithKline was warned about the illegal marketing of Zofran as long ago as 1999.
If you or your child has been harmed by this drug, you should contact our Virginia dangerous drug attorneys as soon as possible to find out how to join a lawsuit.
What is Morning Sickness?
Morning sickness usually begins around the sixth week of pregnancy. It affects about 70 – 80 percent of pregnant women during the first trimester. About half of women who experience morning sickness end up vomiting. Although morning sickness usually lasts a matter of weeks, the unpleasantness of the condition leads many women to look for a drug to treat it.
Although morning sickness does not cause long-lasting illnesses, the drugs used to treat it may. Zofran is linked to serious conditions in the mother and the child.
How Does Zofran Work?
Zofran (generically known as ondansetron) blocks the chemicals in the body that cause nausea and vomiting. It can be taken in an oral tablet, making it a popular option for pregnant women. Although the drug may take the edge off the side effects of pregnancy, it’s not worth the risks.
As many as 1 million pregnant women are exposed to Zofran or its generic every year, according to a study by Dr. Gideon Koren of Motherisk.
What are the Side Effects of Zofran?
Some women may experience side effects soon after taking Zofran. You should immediately discontinue use and call your doctor if you experience any of the following:
- Bloating, severe constipation, or stomach pains
- Fast palpitations or pounding heartbeats
- A headache with chest pain, fainting, light-headedness, severe dizziness
- jaundice (yellow skin or eyes)
- Temporary vision loss or blurred vision lasting from a few minutes to several hours
- Fever hallucinations, anxiety, fast heart rate, overactive reflexes, vomiting, diarrhea, loss of coordination
- Drowsiness and tiredness
Zofran Complications Lead to Lawsuits in Virginia
Zofran is associated with birth defects leading to lawsuits in Virginia and elsewhere against GSK.
Researchers have conducted studies on the impact of Zofran and other drugs on pregnant women over the last decade. While some of the results are contradictory, a Danish study in 2013 that looked at 900,000 pregnant women from 1997 to 2010 highlighted a risk of cardiac defects associated with Zofran.
The study suggested a 30 percent overall increase in heart defects in newborns associated with the drug. However, another Danish study involving 600,000 participants found little or no increased risk.
Zofran use is also linked to cleft lip and cleft palate deformities in children.
A study of about 9,000 women by the Center for National Birth Defects Research and Prevention suggested the chances of a child developing a cleft lip or a cleft palate was 2.4 times higher when a mother took Zofran in the first trimester.
Zofran has also been linked to kidney defects and congenital heart defects such as Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) or Ventral Septal Defect (VSD). ASD is the incomplete closure of the wall between two chambers in the upper heart. VSD is a similar defect in the lower two heart chambers.
Why Charges Were Brought Against GSK over Zofran
Back in 1999, Zofran manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline was warned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the illegal marketing of Zofran.
In 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the settlement of charges against GSK for marketing Zofran to doctors and allegedly paying kickbacks to doctors who used the drug. Glaxo was ordered to pay $3 billion in criminal and civil fines to dismiss these allegations.
The settlement does not affect lawsuits against GSK for damages or injuries caused by Zofran. Mothers, children, and their families who suffered because of this drug may be eligible for compensation for medical costs, lost wages or pain and suffering caused by Zofran during pregnancy.
About 400 families who allege Zofran caused birth defects have filed lawsuits against GSK. The cases have been consolidated in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Contact a Virginia Dangerous Drug Attorney
If you or a family member has been injured by a dangerous drug, contact the Smith Law Center today. We have secured over a billion dollars for people injured by dangerous drugs, people harmed in car wrecks, and other accidents. Please contact us today for a free consultation at (757) 244-7000.





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If you or a relative had a severe reaction to military housing mold, it might be time to talk with a toxic mold lawyer. Mold is everywhere, and can be dangerous. Researchers have linked mold to serious respiratory illnesses in some individuals.
Smith Law Center may be able to help if a property owner failed to keep you safe from mold in your military housing. We are one of Virginia’s oldest and most successful firms. We know how to hold negligent property owners responsible, especially when the military is involved.
Call us at (757) 244-700 or contact us online to set up a free consultation. There’s no fee for learning more about Virginia mold laws, your rights, and your legal options.
Mold in Military Housing
Black mold in military housing became widely known when Reuters published an investigation in 2018. Since then, the Department of Defense and the housing providers were supposed to take steps to improve the situation.
Unfortunately, a 2020 audit by the DoD Office of Inspector General found many issues, including the need for mold remediation, still persist.
Monetary Awards in Military Housing Toxic Mold Cases
If the property owner lets toxic mold run wild and continue to cause you harm, talk with our toxic mold attorneys about filing a lawsuit.
You may receive financial compensation for:
- Property damage
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Medical bills
- Pain and suffering
Service members and their families do not receive different types of damages than civilians. These are civil lawsuits in traditional courts of law.
Military Housing Mold Toxicity Symptoms
The Institute of Medicine discovered there was evidence connecting exposure to indoor mold with:
- Upper respiratory tract symptoms;
- Coughing;
- Wheezing;
- Asthma symptoms in individuals with asthma; and
- Hypersensitivity pneumonitis in individuals with weak immune systems.
There is also limited evidence that mold causes respiratory illnesses in healthy children or causes people to develop asthma.
Understanding Exposure to Toxic Mold in Military Housing
The topic of toxic mold is complicated. This Is in part because the term “toxic mold” isn’t accurate. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains mold isn’t toxic or poisonous. However, some molds are toxigenic, which means they produce toxins called mycotoxins.
Mold is common in military housing because it’ll grow anywhere there’s moisture. That includes on and inside walls, carpet, upholstery, wallpaper, and heating and air conditioning systems. This is especially pronounced in humid conditions such as those present in Virginia.
Some people have no difficulties around mold, even large infestations in their homes. Other individuals are sensitive to molds, including those that produce mycotoxins. Someone can have a severe reaction when exposed to a large amount of mold indoors.
People may be more likely to experience mold toxicity symptoms if they have:
- Allergies,
- An underlying lung disease,
- Immune suppression,
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder,
- Asthma, or
- Another chronic respiratory disease.
Common Types of Military Housing Mold
When you’re trying to learn more from the CDC and other resources, you’ll see the word “fungus” a lot. Mold is a type of fungus, which is something that exists all around us. Fungi are living organisms different from animals, plants, and bacteria. There are over 200,000 types of fungi and over 100,000 types of molds.
If you discovered mold in your military housing, it could be Cladosporium, Penicillium, Stachybotrys chartarum, Aspergillus, or many other types. Stachybotrys is what everyone knows as black mold. Aspergillus is a common indoor fungus, which releases mycotoxins and can cause illness. Your symptoms may resemble common allergy or asthma symptoms.
Who is Liable for Military Housing Mold?
Since 1996, most military housing has come under the management of private companies:
- Belfour Beatty Communities: Fort Eustis and Fort Story/li>
- Lincoln Military Housing: Dahlgren, Little Creek, Naval Station Norfolk, Northwest Annex, Oceana, Portsmouth, Quantico, and Yorktown/li>
- Hunt Military Communities: Fort Lee and Langley AFB
Outside of Virginia, Lendlease and Corvias Military Living are two more housing providers. Together, these five companies formed the Military Housing Association.
Military families living in on-base housing must take their complaints to their private management company — not the military. The company is responsible for providing habitable conditions and making repairs, including mold remediation.
If you’re unsure about your rights, review your state law and local ordinances about mold. In general, it’s the landlord’s responsibility to provide a habitable unit, which means it has to be safe to live in. A unit isn’t safe if it’s causing a tenant health issues due to mold.
The Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act requires landlords to disclose if there’s mold in the written report of the move-in inspection. If a tenant discovers visible mold in the unit, then the Act requires the landlord to remove the mold and relocate the tenant until it’s gone at no additional cost to the tenant.
Unfortunately, many families find their housing providers aren’t receptive to complaints. Attorney Stephen M. Smith has handled many mold lawsuits against military housing providers who fail to abide by their lease terms and the law when it comes to mold remediation and other hazards.
Other Hazards in Military Housing
Many service members and their families deal with uncomfortable, if not hazardous, conditions in privatized military housing, including:
Lead Paint: Lead-based paint can cause headaches, nausea, fatigue, irritability, behavioral problems, learning disabilities, seizures, organ damage, and in extreme cases, death.
Asbestos: Exposure to asbestos harms a person’s lungs, and can lead to lung fibrosis (scarring), lung cancer, and mesothelioma.
Radon: Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking. It naturally forms underground, however cracks and gaps in buildings lead to over-exposure indoors.
Poor Water Quality: Dozens of military sites have water with detectable levels of harmful chemicals.
Other issues involve rodent or insect infestations, pesticides, and faulty electrical wiring.
What Happens When a Lot of People Get Sick?
Sometimes mold exposure impacts a single individual or family. However, when the mold spreads throughout military housing, it can impact hundreds or thousands of people.
Occasionally, a large enough group of people are injured to allow for a class action or mass tort lawsuit. A class action lawsuit is one where a class representative acts as the plaintiff on behalf of the group of hurt individuals. Not every victim participates in the lawsuit. There are rules about when a group is big and similar enough to create a class action.
Mass tort lawsuits are different. When there are fewer plaintiffs who have their own set of circumstances, each person files a lawsuit. For efficiency’s sake, one or a couple of law firms may represent most plaintiffs, and the lawsuits are consolidated in a federal court.
Call the Military Housing Mold Lawyers at Smith Law Center for Help Right Away
Mold cases come about in a few ways. You or a loved one may start getting sick, and after weeks or months of struggling to find answers, you finally realize your military housing has a mold infestation. In other cases, you struggle with visible mold and then become ill.
Once you connect the illness with the mold, it’s time to talk with a toxic mold lawyer. Reaching out to an attorney early helps you build a strong compensation claim. We know how to collect evidence, identify who is liable, and craft a successful argument for a settlement or court award.
Attorney Stephen M. Smith has decades of experience handling injury claims and has been internationally recognized for his work. He has litigated cases involving catastrophic injuries and complex legal and scientific issues. In 2019, he was inducted into the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame.
You’re in good hands when you come to Smith Law Center for help. Reach out online or call (757) 244-7000 to schedule your 100% free consultation.
Military Housing Mold Lawsuits: FAQs
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