Pregnant mothers taking anti-depressant drug Symbax might have an increased risk of child being born with persistent pulmonary hypertension.

Investigation against Eli Lilly for its drug Symbyax.

Symbyax is prescribed for adults suffering from depression and generalized anxiety disorder) . Symbyax is a member of the group of prescription drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Symbyax has been prescribed to over 18 million U.S. adults. A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) by Christina Chambers of the University of California, San Diego, found a sixfold increased risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPH) in infants born to mothers who took an antidepressant in the last trimester of pregnancy. On July 19, 2006, the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory for Symbyax and several other antidepressants based on this study.

Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN), is a life-threatening disorder in which the newborn's arteries to the lungs remain constricted after delivery, limiting the amount of blood flow to the lungs and therefore the amount of oxygen into the bloodstream. Ten percent to 20 percent of infants with PPHN will end up dying even if they receive treatment. Indeed, since September 2005, information has been emerging that the antidepressant Paxil may cause birth defects, including cardiac (heart), pulmonary (lung), craniosynostosis (abnormally shaped skull) and infant omphalocele (abdominal wall defects). This investigation also focuses on whether or not other antidepressants, such as Symbyax, cause these birth defects as well. If you believe your child's birth defects or PPHN may be related to the use of Symbyax or other antidepressants during pregnancy, please contact us.

Do not change medications without first consulting your doctor.