Topamax Oral Cleft Lawyer
(800) 701-2406
Our Topamax® cleft lip lawyers can help you if your baby is born with cleft lip or palate and you were prescribed Topamax® (topiramate) during your pregnancy. The FDA alerted healthcare providers and patients about the risk of birth defects associated with the medication and updated the pregnancy category C to D.
A qualified attorney can help you and your family recover financial compensation from the drug maker. Compensation can cover medical costs and pain and suffering.
Birth Defect Risk
According to the FDA, Topamax® has been found to cause serious birth defects when taken by pregnant women. Women taking the drug are 20 times more likely to give birth to a baby with cleft lips and palate than women who are not taking epileptic drugs and 4 times more likely to have a child with birth defects that those taking other types of epilepsy medications.
The evidence is not new. An article published in the July 2008 issue of the Medical Journal Neurology cited preliminary information from the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register that suggested exposure to Topamax® during the first trimester of pregnancy carried a high risk of congenital malformations in infants.
What is Oral Cleft?
A cleft is a gap in the body that develops when a structure of the body doesn't close during development. Oral cleft can include the lips or the palate (the roof of the mouth), or both. Cleft lips range in severity from a small notch in the upper lip to a complete gap that extends through the lip up to the nose. Cleft palates can include the soft palate in the back of the mouth, and the hard palate, in the front of the mouth.
Cleft lips and palate develop very early in a pregnancy, sometimes before the mother knows she is pregnant. The tissue that forms the lips comes together and joins in the middle in a normal fetus between 5-6 weeks after conception. The palate is formed about a week later. When something goes wrong during the development, a gap remains.
Children who suffer from cleft lips and palate can often be effectively treated through surgeries. Some children still develop speech problems, dental problems and hearing loss. Ongoing treatment might include speech-therapy and psychological counseling.
Contact a Topamax® Cleft Lip Lawyer
If your child was exposed to topiramate during the beginning stages of development and was born with cleft lip or palate, you might be eligible for financial compensation. For more information, contact a birth defect lawyer today. We advocate for patient’s rights and would like to help you.
