MPs to debate compensation for sodium valproate families
MPs are due to debate government support and compensation for families harmed by the epilepsy drug sodium valproate, as campaigners say warnings were not clear.
How it was covered
- ITV was the only channel found covering it, concentrating on Sarah Kirk's family experience and the case for compensation.
- Channel 5, BBC News, BBC One, BBC Two, Channel 4, GB News and Sky News: not found in tracked broadcasts.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story. Facts only one channel reported are attributed to it.
ITV's Lunchtime News reported that MPs were due to debate renewed calls for government support for people affected by the side effects of sodium valproate, an epilepsy drug linked to lifelong disabilities.
The programme said a report more than two years earlier had recommended compensation for people prescribed sodium valproate during pregnancy. It reported that up to one in ten babies born to mothers who took the drug had a birth defect. It also reported that up to four in ten children had problems with development and learning as they grew up. ITV said about 20,000 children were thought to have been left with disabilities caused by the drug.
ITV reported that sodium valproate is now banned for use by women and girls. The programme said the regulator had stated that healthcare professionals were made aware of the risks as far back as the 1970s. It added that campaigners say the warnings were not always made clear to them.
Sarah Kirk, who was prescribed the drug for epilepsy, told ITV she was not warned about the dangers when she was pregnant. She said she asked the right questions a year before becoming pregnant and saw multiple specialists, but no one told her of the risks. Kirk said her son had been diagnosed with fetal valproate syndrome and had severe learning difficulties and autism. She said her two daughters were also damaged by the drug.
Kirk told the programme she did not know until 2018, when warnings were added to boxes. She said she was attending the debate and hoped the government would listen. She said Andy Burnham had supported the campaign and had met Emma Murphy and Janet Williams. In a message to the Prime Minister, she asked him to stop the suffering of mothers and children and to answer the Hughes report.
ITV reported that the makers of Epilim, the brand name under which sodium valproate is typically sold, had previously said they were deeply touched by the distress of those affected. They said everyone in the healthcare system had a role to ensure the risks and benefits of valproate were understood.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A report more than two years earlier recommended compensation for people prescribed sodium valproate during pregnancy. | |
| About 20,000 children were thought to have been left with disabilities caused by sodium valproate. | |
| MPs were due to hear renewed calls for government support for people affected by sodium valproate side effects. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV1 led with a personal interview with Sarah Kirk, using her family's experience to illustrate the case for compensation ahead of the parliamentary debate. The channel set out the official risk figures and the regulator's position, while giving space to campaigners' criticism that warnings were unclear. It framed the story around an expected government response rather than a report on a vote or decision.
- “MPs will tonight hear renewed calls for government support for those affected by side effects of an epilepsy drug linked to lifelong disabilities.”
- “I asked all the correct questions way before I got pregnant, a year before I got pregnant and I saw multiple specialists in their field and no one told me of the dangers.”
- “please can you stop all of our suffering, all of the mothers and obviously our children and please give us an answer to the Hughes report”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 13:40 GMT
Sarah Kirk, who says she wasn't warned about the dangers when she was pregnant
ITV Lunchtime News · Thu 29 Oct
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.