Viibryd Concerns What is the new drug Viibryd?

Viibryd (known generically as vilazodone) is an antidepressant drug that is a combination of selective serotonin reputake inhibitor (SSRI) and 5HT1A receptor partial agonist. The SSRI portion of the Viibryd increases the levels of serotonin in the brain, while the 5HT1A receptor partial agonist affects the alleles of the HT transporter gene.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Viibryd in 2011, and it has yet to be seen if the drug has the same birth defect-causing aspects as other similar SSRI antidepressants.

Will Viibryd increase the risk of having a child with a Viibryd birth defect?

Although Viibryd has not been connected with any reported congenital birth defects, concern is growing that it may have similar side effects on unborn children. Similar SSRI antidepressants have been linked with congenital birth defects, which include abdominal defects, cranial defects, heart defects, and persistent pulmonary hypertension of newborns (PPHN).

In June 2010, a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal revealed that women who took an SSRI antidepressant drug during pregnancy had a 68 percent greater risk of having a miscarriage compared to women who did not take an antidepressant drug during pregnancy.

Additionally, a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine discovered that children exposed to an SSRI drug during the third trimester were six times more likely to be born with PPHN than a child who was not exposed to an SSRI drug during pregnancy.

How to Contact a Viibryd Lawyer

Although Viibryd has not yet been linked with any reported congenital birth defects, concerns are growing because Viibryd contains the same SSRI chemicals in other antidepressants that have been linked with birth defects. If you or someone you know has taken an SSRI antidepressant and given birth to a newborn suffering from a birth defect, you should contact one of Chaffin Luhana LLP’s SSRI drug lawyers at 1-888-480-1123 today for a free and confidential case review. You may be entitled to compensation, and the lawyers at Chaffin Luhana are prepared to help.