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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
David Connett

Mums-to-be still being given unsafe epilepsy drug

Pregnant woman
A review published in 2020 estimated 20,000 Britons had been exposed to the drug as developing babies. Photograph: JGI/Jamie Grill/Getty Images/Tetra images RF

A anti-epilepsy drug, which causes health problems for babies when taken by pregnant women, is still being given to patients without safety warnings, it was reported.

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has called for an “immediate fix” concerning sodium valproate, which has been linked to physical malformations, autism and developmental delay in many children when taken by their mothers during pregnancy.

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