english.prescrire.org > Spotlight > Archives : 2017 > Valproic acid and pregnancy

Spotlight: Archives

Every month, the subjects in Prescrire’s Spotlight.

2017 : 1 | 30 | 60

In the December issue of Prescrire International: valproic acid and pregnancy

FREE DOWNLOAD A recently released study estimates that several thousand children in France who were exposed in utero to valproic acid or one of its derivatives between 1967 and 2016 were affected by at least one major congenital malformation.
Full text available for free download.

Summary

  • In April 2017, the results of a French study of exposure to valproic acid or one of its derivatives (semisodium valproate and valpromide) during pregnancy and its consequences became available.

  • Over the period from 1967 to 2016, the study's authors estimated that about 41 200 to 75 300 live-born children were exposed in utero to valproic acid or one of its derivatives.
     
  • 2150 to 4100 of these children were recorded as being affected by at least one major congenital malformation.
     

Full text available for free download.

 ©Prescrire 1 December2017

"Valproic acid and pregnancy: assessment of malformations in France" Prescrire Int 2017; 26 (188): 294. (Pdf, free)

Download the full review
Pdf, free

See also:

The 2017 "Prescrire Prize"
is awarded in Paris to
4 noteworthy books about
health and healthcare
(October 2017)
Free

Valproic acid: long-term effects
on children exposed in utero
(January 2010)
Free