In February of this year, E. Campbell and a team from Royal Victoria Hospital (Belfast, UK) published a piece in Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry titled “Malformation risks of antiepileptic drug monotherapies in pregnancy: updated results from the UK and Ireland Epilepsy and Pregnancy Registers.” further demonstrating the link between exposure to maternal epilepsy drugs Depacon, Depakene, and Depakote and birth defects.
Plainly, the team states at the outset of this article’s abstract that “Antiepileptic drug (AED) exposure during pregnancy increases the risk of major congenital malformations (MCMs)”, explaining that this article will “provide updated results from the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register of the risk of MCMs after monotherapy exposure to valproate, carbamazepine and lamotrigine” by way of a “Fifteen-year prospective observational study from 1996 until 2012.” In all, 5,206 cases were studied, 1,290 of which were exposed to valproate, the active chemical in Depacon, Depakote, and Depakene.
“The MCM risk with valproate monotherapy exposure in utero was 6.7% (95% CI 5.5% to 8.3%) compared with 2.6% with carbamazepine (95% CI 1.9% to 3.5%) and 2.3% with lamotrigine (95% CI 1.8% to 3.1%).” (To be clear, “MCM” stands for major congenital malformation, or “birth defect.”)
As such, the team concluded that “In utero exposure to valproate carries a significantly higher MCM risk than lamotrigine (p=0.0001) and carbamazepine (p=0.0001) monotherapy. In contrast to prior findings, high-dose lamotrigine was associated with fewer MCMs than all doses of valproate.”
Since thousands of women have used Depacon, Depakene, and Depakote during pregnancy unaware of the increased risk for birth defects, Depacon birth defect lawsuits have been filed against the manufacturer (Abbott Laboratories, Inc.) in great number.
If you or a loved one used Depacon, Depakote, or Depakene during pregnancy and your child was born with a birth defect, your family may be entitled to significant financial compensation. For a free, no-obligation case consultation, contact our team of Depacon birth defect lawyers at the information provided below. We have the compassion, resources, and experience required to win the justice you deserve. Call today and see how we can help.
(855) 452 – 5528
Our Depacon Lawsuit Information page is a great place to start if you have any questions about Depacon.