Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review: Sodium Valproate

Lord Jones of Cheltenham Excerpts

Tuesday 2nd March 2021 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bethell (Con)]

My Lords, I welcome the noble Baroness’s point on the proportion of those who say they have filled in the form. Phase 1 of the registry is a helpful collection of statistics, but we are putting in place phase 2, which will help us to understand exactly how many patients who are taking sodium valproate have actually filled in the form. That will give us the concrete reassurance that we seek on this matter. I recognise that there are redress payments for thalidomide and contaminated blood, but redress payments are not necessarily suitable for every single misfortune that happens in the medical world. However, we will look very carefully at the case for sodium valproate and I take the noble Baroness’s comments on board.

[Lord Jones of Cheltenham (LD) [V]]

Research from Konkuk University in South Korea has suggested that disabilities caused by the compound could cause autism spectrum disorder transgenerationally—in other words, afflict successive generations within families. What is the Government’s view?

[Lord Bethell (Con)]

I am grateful to the noble Lord for raising that study. It is not one that I am aware of, and I am keen to go back to the department to find out whether it has done any analysis of it. I will write to the noble Lord with a response.