A Conditional Transfer Order is sending a recently filed Zofran lawsuit to join over 200 more lawsuits pending in Massachusetts. The plaintiffs allege that exposure to Zofran early in their pregnancy caused their children to suffer birth defects including heart defects, cleft lip, cleft palate, club foot, and skull deformities.

The FDA approved Zofran in 1991 to help prevent nausea and vomiting in cancer patients or patients who had undergone surgery. It quickly became popular as an off-label treatment for pregnant women who were suffering from morning sickness.

In 2012, the manufacturer of Zofran, GlaxoSmithKline, pled guilty to federal charges of fraud and illegal promotion of medications. The company had falsely advertised Zofran as a safe treatment for morning sickness in pregnant women even though it was not approved for this purpose, nor has it been clinically tested on pregnant women.

Current Zofran birth defects lawsuits allege that the company knew the medication was dangerous and failed to properly warn doctors and consumers. The lawsuits are in the early stages, and it is unlikely that any cases will reach trial for several more years.