In recent years, dozens of studies have been published illustrating an increased risk for birth defects linked to antiepileptic drugs containing sodium valproate such as Depacon, Depakene, and Depakote.  While these drugs are effective in the mitigation of seizures, the risks posed to developing babies cannot go overlooked.  Here, I will summarize one such study by G. Veiby et al., first appearing in the March, 2014 edition of Journal of Neurology.  This study was titled “Fetal growth restriction and birth defects with newer and older antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy.” and comes from University of Bergen (Bergen, Norway).

The team writes, “Deliveries recorded in the compulsory Medical Birth Registry of Norway 1999-2011 formed the study population.”  In all, “2,600 children exposed to antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy were compared to all 771,412 unexposed children born to women without epilepsy.”

Among other things, results showed that “Valproate monotherapy was associated with a significant risk of birth defects (6.3 vs. 2.9 %; OR 2.5; CI 1.6-3.8), and specifically with septal heart defects and hypospadias.”  This means that children exposed to valproate in utero were 2.5 times as likely to be born with birth defects, specifically heart defects.

The team also found that if a mother who used valproate in pregnancy bore a child with a birth defect, the likelihood that she would bear another with a defect was 10.4 times higher than if she had not used the drug.

Because the manufacturers of these drugs have failed time and again to warn women of these risks, Depacon birth defect lawsuits are currently being filed around the world.

If you or a loved one used Depacon, Depakote, or Depakene during pregnancy and your child was born with a congenital malformation or had perinatal complications, you 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 experience, resources, and skills 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.

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.

Today, I found another article by G. Veiby and a team from The University of Bergen in Bergen, Norway that demonstrates the danger posed to children exposed to valproate in utero.  Valproate (sodium valproate, other formations) is the active chemical in a number of antiepileptic drugs such as Depacon, Depakote, and Depakene.  The article I will summarize here appeared in the August, 2013 edition of Epilepsia and was titled “Exposure to antiepileptic drugs in utero and child development: a prospective population-based study.”.

Veiby et al. (2013) write “Antiepileptic drugs may cause congenital malformations. Less is known about the effect on development in infancy and childhood. The aim of this study was to examine whether exposure to antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy has an effect on early child development.”

Using the Medical Birth Registry (Norway) the team studied children born between 1999 and 2008 numbering 108,264 in all, of which 333 “were exposed to antiepileptic drugs in utero.”

The team states “At 18 months, the exposed children had increased risk of abnormal scores for gross motor skills (7.1% vs. 2.9%; OR 2.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-3.7) and autistic traits (3.5% vs. 0.9%; OR 2.7, CI 1.1-6.7) compared to children of parents without epilepsy.”  (Children born to mothers who used Depacon or another valproate drug were twice as likely to have abnormal scores for gross motor skills and 2.9 times as likely to be born with symptoms of autism 18 months.)

Veiby et al. (2013) continue: “At 36 months, the exposed children had increased risk of abnormal score for gross motor skills (7.5% vs. 3.3%; OR 2.2, CI 1.1-4.2), sentence skills (11.2% vs. 4.8%; OR 2.1, CI 1.2-3.6), and autistic traits (6.0% vs. 1.5%; OR 3.4, CI 1.6-7.0).”  (Children exposed to Depakote were 3.4 times as likely to be born with traits of autism at 36 months of life.)

Further, “The drug-exposed children also had increased risk of congenital malformations (6.1% vs. 2.9%; OR 2.1, CI 1.4-3.4”.  This means that children born to mothers who used drugs like Depacon and Depakote were more than twice as likely as non-exposed children to be born with birth defects.

Accordingly, the team concluded that “Exposure to antiepileptic drugs during pregnancy is associated with adverse development at 18 and 36 months of age, measured as low scores within key developmental domains rated by mothers.”

Since so many mothers have used Depacon and other drugs containing valproate in pregnancy unaware of the increased risk for birth defects and developmental disorders like autism, thousands of Depacon birth defect lawsuits have been filed in recent years.

If you or a loved one used Depacon, Depakote, or Depakene during pregnancy and your child was born autism or a birth defect, you 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.

In July, 2011, Lancet Neurology published an article titled “Dose-dependent risk of malformations with antiepileptic drugs: an analysis of data from the EURAP epilepsy and pregnancy registry.” that was written by a team from Stockholm led by T. Tomson.  This study is yet another example of peer-reviewed research demonstrating that serious risks are posed to children whose mothers used antiepileptic drugs containing valproate (Depakote, Depakene, Depacon, etc.) during pregnancy.

Tomson et al. open by writing simply “Prenatal exposure to antiepileptic drugs is associated with a greater risk of major congenital malformations, but there is inadequate information on the comparative teratogenicity of individual antiepileptic drugs and the association with dose.”  As such, the team “aimed to establish the risks of major congenital malformations after monotherapy exposure to four major antiepileptic drugs at different doses.”  That is, the team wanted to find the risk for birth defects linked to drugs individually.

Using data from the EURAP epilepsy and pregnancy registry (“an observational cohort study representing a collaboration of physicians from 42 countries”), Tomson “assessed rates of major congenital malformations in 1402 pregnancies exposed to carbamazepine, 1280 on lamotrigine, 1010 on valproic acid, and 217 on phenobarbital.”  (Valproic acid is another form of valproate, identical in biochemical effect.)

The team found “An increase in malformation rates with increasing dose at the time of conception was recorded for all drugs. Multivariable analysis including ten covariates in addition to treatment with antiepileptic drugs showed that the risk of malformations was greater with a parental history of major congenital malformations (odds ratio 4·4, 95% CI 2·06-9·23).”

“Compared with lamotrigine monotherapy at doses less than 300 mg per day, risks of malformation were significantly higher with valproic acid and phenobarbital at all investigated doses, and with carbamazepine at doses greater than 400 mg per day.”

Because thousands of women around the world have used Depacon, Depakene, and Depakote while pregnant unaware of the increased risk for birth defects associated therein, Depacon birth defect lawsuits have been filed 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 experience, compassion, and resources 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.

Today, I came across an article from the February, 2012 edition of The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology published by F.J. Vajda and a team of researchers at University of Melbourne (Australia).  In their piece, titled “The prescribing of antiepileptic drugs for pregnant Australian women.” Vajda et al. explore further the risks of prenatal exposure to  antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) containing sodium valproate, such as Depacon, Depakene, and Depakote (Abbott Laboratories, Inc.).

This peer-reviewed article opens by plainly stating “It is not clear how widely it is appreciated in Australia that certain antiepileptic drugs, particularly valproate, are teratogenic.”  (To be clear, “teratogenic” means birth defect-causing.)

Analyzing data from the Australian Register of Antiepileptic Drugs, the team aimed to “assess trends in the pattern of antiepileptic drug prescribing for pregnant women in Australia to determine whether drug use is optimal, particularly from the fetal viewpoint.”

After statistical analysis, the team was able to determine that “Valproate was the only significant teratogen among the antiepileptic drugs in common use. There was a fetal malformation rate of 14.5% associated with its use in monotherapy, as compared with a rate of 3.15% in antiepileptic drug-unexposed pregnancies in women with epilepsy (OR = 5.23, 95% CI = 1.81, 15.09).” (emphasis added)

This means that if a child was exposed to Depakote or another valproate-containing AED in utero, the risk for birth defects was more than 5 times higher than that of children unexposed.

Vajda et al. (2012) continue: “Neurologists had progressively prescribed valproate less frequently and in lower dosage than other classes of practitioner over the 10-year study period, with a parallel decrease in occurrence of fetal malformations in pregnancies referred to the Register. Other prescribers of valproate did not seem to have adopted these practices to the same extent and had not obtained similar degrees of reduction in the occurrence of fetal malformations.” (emphasis added)

Because Abbott Laboratories failed time and again to highlight the risk for birth defects on drug warning labels, thousands of Depacon birth defect lawsuits have been filed in recent years.

If you or a loved one used Depacon, Depakote, or Depakene during pregnancy and your child was born with a congenital malformation, you 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, experience, and resources 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.

In the April, 2013 edition of JAMA, an article titled “Prenatal valproate exposure and risk of autism spectrum disorders and childhood autism.” from a Danish team led by J. Christensen evaluated the risks of prenatal exposure to the antiepileptic Depacon.  Because Abbott Laboratories, the manufacturer of this drug, failed time and again to warn of the risk for birth defects, autism, and other negative consequences of Depacon exposure, class-action Depacon lawsuits around the world

For clarity, the active chemical in Depacon (also Depakene and Depakote) is valproate.

The team states “Valproate is used for the treatment of epilepsy and other neuropsychological disorders and may be the only treatment option for women of childbearing potential. However, prenatal exposure to valproate may increase the risk of autism.”

Studying “all children born alive in Denmark from 1996 to 2006,” Christensen et al. (2013) “analyzed the risks associated with all autism spectrum disorders as well as childhood autism.”

“Of 655,615 children born from 1996 through 2006, 5437 were identified with autism spectrum disorder, including 2067 with childhood autism. … The estimated absolute risk after 14 years of follow-up was 1.53% … for autism spectrum disorder and 0.48% … for childhood autism. Overall, the 508 children exposed to valproate had an absolute risk of 4.42% … for autism spectrum disorder (adjusted HR, 2.9 …) and an absolute risk of 2.50% … for childhood autism (adjusted HR, 5.2)”

This means that if a child was exposed to Depacon / Depakene / Depakote, the risk for autism was increased about 3- to 5-fold.

This study concluded “Maternal use of valproate during pregnancy was associated with a significantly increased risk of autism spectrum disorder and childhood autism in the offspring, even after adjusting for maternal epilepsy.”  (Maternal disease did not cause birth defects, the drugs did.)

Since so many women have used Depacon during pregnancy unaware of the risks for birth defects, thousands of Depacon birth defect lawsuits are currently being filed.

If you or a loved one used Depacon, Depakote, or Depakene while pregnant 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, experience, and resources 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.

Titled “Malformation risks of antiepileptic drugs in pregnancy: a prospective study from the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register.”, an article by J. Morrow and a team from Belfast (UK) published in the February, 2006 edition of Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry aimed to “assess the relative risk of major congenital malformation (MCM) from in utero exposure to antiepileptic drug (AEDs).”  In recent years, many teams have found that prenatal exposure to AEDs containing sodium valproate such as Depacon, Depakene, and Depakote, is linked to increased risk for heart defects, neurological birth defects, and developmental disorders such as Autism.

For this study, “data collected by the UK Epilepsy and Pregnancy Register were analyzed”, and in total, 3,607 mother-child pairs were studied.  Results showed that “The overall MCM rate for all AED exposed cases was 4.2% … The MCM rate was higher for polytherapy (6.0%) … than for monotherapy (3.7%) … The MCM rate for women with epilepsy who had not taken AEDs during pregnancy (n = 239) was 3.5% (1.8% to 6.8%).”

Importantly, the team found that “The MCM rate was greater for pregnancies exposed only to valproate (6.2% (95% CI, 4.6% to 8.2%) than only to carbamazepine (2.2% (1.4% to 3.4%) (OR = 2.78 (p<0.001); adjusted OR = 2.97 (p<0.001))” and “Polytherapy combinations containing valproate carried a higher risk of MCM than combinations not containing valproate (OR = 2.49 (1.31 to 4.70)).”  This means that the risk for birth defects with valproate exposure was higher than for other drugs.

The team concluding that “Polytherapy regimens containing valproate had significantly more MCMs than those not containing valproate,” this article can be used in a Depacon birth defect lawsuit to demonstrate to court that the manufacturers of these drugs knew, or should have known, the risks associated with their product but failed to act.

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 experience, resources, and skills 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.

 

In recent years, a number of studies have shown that prenatal exposure to sodium valproate (the active ingredient in epilepsy drugs Depacon, Depakene, and Depakote) is linked to increased risk for birth defects.  Here, I’ll summarize one such study, titled “Differential effects of antiepileptic drugs on neonatal outcomes.” by P.B. Pennell and a team from Harvard Medical School that originally appeared in the August, 2012 edition of Epilepsy and Behavior.

Pennell states, “Offspring of women with epilepsy (WWE) on AEDs are at increased risks for major congenital malformations and reduced cognition”, and “They may be at risk for other adverse neonatal outcomes.”

For this study, “Women with epilepsy on carbamazepine (CBZ), lamotrigine (LTG), phenytoin (PHT), or valproate (VPA) monotherapy were enrolled in a prospective, observational, multicenter study of the neurodevelopmental effects of AEDs.”

Results showed that the risk for “small for gestational age (SGA) was higher for VPA vs. PHT, VPA vs. LTG, and CBZ vs. PHT”, meaning that Depakote (etc.) was linked to birth defects.

The team also found that “Microcephaly rates were elevated to 12% for all newborns and at 12 months old, but normalized by age 24 months” and “Reduced Apgar scores occurred more frequently in the VPA and PHT groups at 1 min, but scores were near normal in all groups at 5 min.” (emphasis added)  To be clear, Apgar score is a measure of neonatal adaptation wherein higher scores indicate better adaptation.

As such, these researchers concluded that “This study demonstrates increased risks for being born SGA in the VPA and CBZ groups, and transiently reduced Apgar scores in the VPA and PHT groups.”

Because so many women used Depacon in pregnancy unaware of the risks for birth defects, Depacon birth defect lawsuits have been filed in great number across the country.  If you or a loved one used Depacon, Depakote, or Depakene during pregnancy and your child was born with a congenital malformation or had perinatal complications, you 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 experience, resources, and skills 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.

Titled “Malformation in infants of mothers with epilepsy receiving antiepileptic drugs.”, a piece of Japanese medical research by S. Kaneko et al. published in April, 1992 helps show just how long it has been known that prenatal exposure to epilepsy drugs containing valproate is linked to birth defects.  Depacon, Depakote, and Depakene are top examples of these drugs and are manufactured by Abbott Laboratories, Inc.

Aiming “To assess the relative contribution of antiepileptic drugs (AEDS) to occurrence of congenital malformations, [this research team] compared two prospective studies” and “analyzed data for 14 AEDs for total daily doses (drug score) and eight background factors.”

“From the first study, the drug score and polytherapy–particularly the use of valproate plus carbamazepine–were suspected to be primary factors for increased incidence of congenital malformation. In the other study, the drug score for each case was decreased, and polytherapy–particularly valproate plus carbamazepine–was changed to monotherapy before conception. These changes significantly decreased the incidence of malformations.”  This means valproate contributed to birth defects more than the other drug.

The team writes that “When data were corrected for seizure type, maternal age at delivery, or etiology of epilepsy, the difference in the incidence of malformations did not disappear, but it did disappear when data were corrected for drug score or number of AEDs. These results support our previous observations that AEDs are primary factors for the increased incidence of congenital malformation in infants of mothers with epilepsy.”

Due to the fact that Abbott and other epilepsy drug manufacturers have failed to warn women of these risks, even though it is clearly demonstrable that the companies knew, or should have known the risks, Depacon birth defect lawsuits are currently being filed around the world.

If you or a loved one used Depacon, Depakote, or Depakene while pregnant and your child was born with a birth defect or perinatal complications, 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, experience, and resources 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.

In February, 2011, C. Nadebaum and a British research team published a piece in Neurology titled “Language skills of school-aged children prenatally exposed to antiepileptic drugs.” that provides important insight into the connection between antiepileptic drugs containing sodium valproate (Depacon, Depakene, and Depakote) and birth defects.

Nadebaum et al. (2011) state “Fetal exposure to some antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) carries increased risk of major birth defects, and may be associated with reduced intellectual abilities. The impact on language remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the impact of fetal AED exposure on language skills.”

Studying language skills of “102 AED-exposed children” and comparing results to a control group, the team found that “Mean CELF-4 Core Language scores of children exposed to sodium valproate in monotherapy (mean 91.5, SD 17.5) or polytherapy (mean 73.4, SD = 22.3) were significantly below the standardized test mean of 100 (p < 0.05).”  This means that babies with Depacon exposure had significantly lower language skill later in life.

The team also found that babies exposed to several other antiepileptic drugs had normal language skills.  And, “First-trimester sodium valproate dose was negatively correlated with language scores, and significantly predicted language scores after controlling for other group differences.”

Because Abbott Laboratories, the company that makes Depacon, Depakene, and Depakote, has failed to warn women of the risk for birth defects, Depacon birth defect lawsuits have been filed in great number over the last several years.

If you or a loved one used Depacon, Depakote, or Depakene during pregnancy and your child was born with a birth defect, you 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 experience, resources, and skills 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.