Illinois Parents Claim Daughters Suffer from Depakote Birth Defects

Madison County, ILThe parents of two young girls claim their children suffered Depakote birth defects after their mother reportedly took the anti-epileptic medication during her pregnancy, reports the Madison County Record.

Roger and Mindy Pyszkowski filed a lawsuit against Abbott Laboratories on July 28 in Madison County Circuit Court, claiming Mindy took Depakote during her pregnancies with both girls. At that time, the couple claimed they were not aware of the dangerous birth defects associated with the anti-epileptic medication, including cleft palate, developmental delays, heart defects and neural tube defects like spina bifida.

According to the lawsuit, Abbott allegedly knew that pregnant women faced risks when taking Depakote, but the parents claim the company failed to warn doctors or clients about the potential risks.

The complaint also asserts that researchers have discovered that Depakote is even riskier than other anti-epileptic medications on the market for pregnant women, the news source reported.

"Even now, when medical science has proven beyond all doubt that one out of every eight or 10 babies whose mothers take Depakote during the first weeks of pregnancy will suffer some form of major congenital anomaly, Abbott refuses to state that risk on its product label, instead obliquely referring to a misleading statistic regarding a single specific defect," the lawsuit contends.

As a result of the use of Depakote during pregnancy, the Pyszkowskis claim their daughters were both born with neural tube defects such as spina bifida.

According to the Mayo Clinic, spina bifida is a neural tube defect characterized by a portion of the neural tube failing to close or develop fully, which leads to defects in the spinal cord and the bones of the backbone.

The condition reportedly can have different levels of severity, with the main treatment option typically being surgery, although the Mayo Clinic reports that such treatment does not always solve the issue.

The National Center for Biotechnology states that Depakote (valproic acid) has also been associated with a number of side effects in the person taking the drug, including drowsiness, changes in appetite, mood swings and abnormal thinking.

The lawsuit filed by the Illinois couple reportedly seeks actual damages, future economic damages, costs and interest, according to the Record.