Link to meet our birth trauma attorneys While birth defects can occur for a variety of reasons, there are some substances that when consumed will greatly increase the risk of such defects. Alcohol, some illegal drugs, and some prescription and over-the-counter medications are known to cause birth defects when taken during pregnancy. Known as “teratogens,” these substances interfere with the normal development of a fetus. It is not always possible to predict how a teratogen will affect a fetus, but there are some factors to consider: What type of drug is it? How big is the dose? How frequently is it taken? What stage of development is the fetus at the time of exposure? What is the individual response of the fetus to the drug? A variety of other factors, including maternal diet or illness Each fetus has about a four percent chance of a birth defect, even under perfect…
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The Risks of Teratogens
February 24, 2012FDA Faces Lawsuit Over Thalidomide Documents
February 20, 2012The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been sued for allegedly failing to turn over documents pertaining to the use and distribution of the morning sickness drug thalidomide. Attorneys filing a birth injury lawsuit against the companies involved with the drug claim they repeatedly requested the documents, but have not received them. The lawsuit the records pertain to claims the defendants withheld evidence proving that the morning sickness drug caused birth defects. The complaint also claims that Smith Kline & French (the predecessor to GlaxoSmithKline) distributed thalidomide to more than 20,000 people even though the drug never received FDA approval. We discussed in a previous blog how it is sometimes difficult to know the full range of side effects for each new drug that is introduced to the market. As unfortunate as it may seem, it can sometimes take a wave of birth defects to indicate a dangerous drug. Sometimes…
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Game Update for Charity
February 17, 2012In an effort to raise money for an operation to help a girl with cerebral palsy, game developer Big Ideas Digital has launched a charity drive involving one of its iPhone games. Born premature, Grace Windram was diagnosed with cerebral palsy in 2006. Birth trauma left her unable to control the muscles in her legs, arms, mouth and tongue. She underwent several treatments but is still unable to walk. Her parents hoped to change that, though, by applying to an intensive physiotherapy program at the St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Grace was accepted to the program. The only difficulty now is coming up with the money to pay for it. At $68,000, the treatment is far beyond the means of her family. Big Ideas Digital learned of Grace’s plight and decided to create an update to its iPhone game consisting of a new level called “Grace’s Tunes.” The user has to…
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