Devolved nations press UK for support for victims of epilepsy drug valproate

Résumé détaillé

Thousands of babies are thought to have been harmed during pregnancies since the 1970s.

The three devolved governments have written to the UK Government urging it to set out how it will help people harmed by an epilepsy medicine taken during pregnancy.

Health ministers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland warned UK public health and patient safety minister Dame Diana Johnson that a lack of action was “causing significant anxiety and distress” for patients across the four nations

Thousands of babies are thought to have been harmed during pregnancies since the 1970s by sodium valproate, a drug used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder which is now known to cause major birth defects and lifelong learning difficulties.

A report on the issue by Dr Henrietta Hughes, the patient safety commissioner for England, was published in 2024 but has not received a response from the UK Government.

In a joint letter to Dame Diana, Scotland’s public health minister Maree Todd, Welsh Government cabinet minister for health Mabon ap Gwynfor, and minister for health for Northern Ireland Robbie Butler urged the UK Government to act.

They wrote: “The continued absence of a formal response is causing significant anxiety and distress for affected individuals and families across all parts of the United Kingdom.

“Those impacted by the issues considered in the Hughes Report have already waited many years for recognition and resolution, and the lack of clarity regarding the UK Government’s intentions is adding to that uncertainty.”

The ministers said they were “concerned” that the UK Government had not decided whether to financially compensate patients impacted by the medicine, adding that Westminster had offered no timescale for a decision.

The devolved ministers welcomed the UK Government’s commitment to work with them and said they “stand ready to consider any proposals”.

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