- A French court has ordered Sanofi SA (NASDAQ:SNY) to pay more than €400,000 in damages to a French family whose child had autism caused by its epilepsy drug Valproate.
- The court mentioned that the company failed to inform about known side effects.
- In January, the link was also recognized in a class-action ruling, potentially leading to millions of euros in compensation. However, Sanofi said it would file an appeal.
- The latest ruling, seen by Reuters, states that Sanofi must have known the risk that the drug, if taken by pregnant women, could cause malformations and "neuro-behavioral disorders" in children, which should have been mentioned in its attached leaflet.
- Sanofi said it would appeal the decision, adding that the drug's overall risk-benefit ratio is positive.
- "I hope that Sanofi will change its position and start compensating the victims now that more and more court decisions are being rendered," Martin, the mother of a child suffering from Depakine side effects, told Reuters on Saturday.
- French health authorities have estimated the drug was responsible for deformities in between 2,150 and 4,100 children and neurodevelopmental defects in up to 30,400.
- Sanofi was placed under formal investigation in 2020 on charges of manslaughter but rebutted those charges and said it would challenge the merits of the investigation.
- Price Action: SNY shares are up 0.66% at $52.37 during the market session on the last check Monday.
