On Friday, Pfizer was given a clean chit in the first US trial claiming that its antidepressant Zoloft can cause birth defects in children who are born to women who take the drug during pregnancy.

Plaintiff Kristyn Pesante has accused Pfizer for not revealing Zoloft's risks in order to boost sales. She said that owing to the company's failure for not warning about the drug's side effects, her son was born with a rare, serious congenital heart problem.

For a week, the trial has been conducted in St. Louis, Missouri. Pesante has asked for both compensatory and punitive damages from the company. A number of lawsuits have been filed against Zoloft claiming that it causes cardiac and other birth defects.

Friday's verdict was important as Pesante's was the first case selected for trial. It has comprised almost same medical evidences and other theories underpinning other cases across the nation. Pesante's 2012 lawsuit stated that Pfizer claimed that Zoloft is a treatment for depression in pregnant women and has a lower risk of side effects than similar drugs.

She has taken the drugs in her first trimester and at that time was not aware of the risks. But the company said that there is no scientific link between Zoloft and birth defects. Pfizer also said that its position is supported by medical groups, including the American Heart Association, American Psychiatric Association and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Zoloft was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. It is considered to be part of a widely prescribed group of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. The next Zoloft trial will take place later this year in state court in Philadelphia.