Mothers Expose 17-Year Sodium Valproate Medical Scandal
Campaigners Janet Williams and Emma Murphy exposed a medical scandal where regulators withheld warnings about the anti-seizure drug sodium valproate to avoid causing patient anxiety.
Two mothers from North West England, Janet Williams and Emma Murphy, led a 17-year campaign to expose a medical scandal involving the anti-seizure drug sodium valproate, sold under the brand name Epilim. The drug, used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder, is estimated to have caused physical malformations in 10% of exposed fetuses and serious neurodevelopmental disorders in 30% to 40% of cases, affecting between 20,000 and 39,399 babies.
Clinical geneticist Prof Jill Clayton-Smith identified clusters of fetal valproate syndrome in the 1990s, but the medical establishment largely ignored the data. In 2015, the campaigners uncovered documents from the Committee on Safety of Medicines revealing that warnings were intentionally withheld to prevent women from experiencing "fruitless anxiety."
While the Government of the United Kingdom conducted a review and promised state compensation two years ago, no payments have been made to the affected families. The drug's manufacturer, Sanofi, was previously a defendant in a 2011 class action suit related to the medication.
