Both sides in the Zoloft MDL focused on the testimony of plaintiffs expert Dr. Anick Berard and her assertions that Zoloft causes birth defects as the Daubert hearing got started Monday.

Berard, a professor at the University of Montreal who researches the effect of medications on pregnancy, is an expert witness presented by the plaintiffs in the cases alleging that the Pfizer antidepressant Zoloft causes birth defects in the babies born to women who took the drug while pregnant.