Sanofi ordered to compensate French family for epilepsy drug side effects

14/5/2022 19:49

        A French court has ordered Sanofi to pay more than 400,000 euros ($416,440) in damages to a family whose child suffered from a form of autism caused by its epilepsy drug Valproate, saying the drugmaker failed to inform about known side effects.
        
        The link, alongside physical malformation, had also been recognised in a landmark class action ruling in January, which could potentially lead to hundreds of millions of euros in compensation, though Sanofi said it would file an appeal.
        
        The latest ruling, made last week and seen by Reuters on Saturday, states that Sanofi must have known the risk that the drug, if taken by pregnant women, could cause malformations and "neuro-behavioural disorders" in children, which should have been mentioned in its attached leaflet.
        
        Sanofi said in a statement it would appeal the decision, adding the drug's overall risk-benefit ratio is positive.