In January of last year, a team of researchers led by E. Campbell published an article in Epilepsia titled “Recurrence risk of congenital malformations in infants exposed to antiepileptic drugs in utero.”, marking yet another piece of professional research illustrating the risks of prenatal exposure to drugs containing sodium valproate such as Depacon, Depakene, and Depakote.

This team from Belfast (United Kingdom) states plainly at the outset of their abstract that “Use of antiepileptic drugs in pregnancy is associated with congenital malformations and developmental delay. Previous studies have suggested that women who have had one child with a congenital malformation are at increased risk of having other children with malformations”, and as such “sought to confirm the magnitude of risk in a large cohort drawn from the United Kingdom Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register.”

Campbell explains that “Outcome data were available for 1,534 pregnancies born to 719 mothers. For women whose first child had a congenital malformation there was a 16.8% risk of having another child with a congenital malformation, compared with 9.8% for women whose first child did not have a malformation (relative risk 1.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-2.96).”

If women had two children with birth defects, the risk for bearing a third was 50%.

“There was a trend toward a higher risk for recurrent malformations in pregnancies exposed to valproate (21.9%, relative risk 1.47, 95% CI 0.68-3.20) and topiramate (50%, relative risk 4.50, 95% CI 0.97-20.82), but not for other drugs such as carbamazepine and lamotrigine.”  This means that if a baby was exposed to Depacon, Depakene, or Depakote at normal maternal doses in pregnancy, the risk for birth defects was 47% than for neonates who faced no such exposure.

Due to the fact that Abbott Laboratories, the manufacturer of Depacon, Depakote, and Depakene, has failed time and again to adequately warn women of the increased risk for birth defects associated with these drugs, thousands of Depacon birth defect lawsuits are currently being filed.

If you or a loved one used Depacon, Depakote, or Depakene while pregnant and gave birth to a child with a birth defect or developmental disorder, 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

justinian@dangerousdrugs.us

Our Depacon Lawsuit Information page is a great place to start if you have any questions about Depacon.