A documentary series, "Mums v Big Pharma," on BBC Two details how drug companies and the NHS regulator allegedly ignored evidence that the anti-epilepsy medication sodium valproate, also known as Epilim, harmed unborn babies. The program recounts how mothers of children born with birth defects, estimated to number around 20,000 since the 1970s, were dismissed by medical professionals and authorities for decades, often being labeled as "hysterical" or "ignorant."
The drug has been linked to physical conditions such as spina bifida and limb defects, as well as cleft palates and autism. Women prescribed the medication were reportedly not warned of these risks. The BBC Two program highlights the efforts of mothers like Janet Williams and Emma Murphy, who led a legal battle against Epilim's manufacturer, Sanofi. Despite facing withdrawal of legal aid and the company's significant profits from the drug, they continued to gather evidence.
Their persistence led them to uncover documents in the National Archives indicating that regulators were aware of the drug's adverse effects during pregnancy as early as 1974. At the time, this information was allegedly suppressed with the justification that it would "give rise to fruitless anxiety." Despite an official admission of the drug's risks in pregnancy, the affected children and families have not yet received compensation.