Mum's compensation fight after drug harms children

Janet Stockley-Pollard (third from left), has travelled to France to meet with victims in France, Marine Martin (second from left) and Nathan Martin (fourth from left). They are with lawyer, Charles-Joseph Oudin, who helped the Martins fight for their compensation from the French government

A woman whose children were harmed after she was prescribed an epilepsy drug during all four of her pregnancies has travelled to France in her ongoing battle to win compensation.

Janet Stockley-Pollard was advised to take a drug called sodium valproate, branded as Epilim, and said she was unaware of its side-effects.

She said all four of her children had been diagnosed with foetal valproate syndrome, which leads to neurodevelopmental issues, autism and congenital malformations.

A spokesperson from Sanofi, the French company that manufactured Epilim, said they "have always worked closely" with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and have "fully met" their legal obligations.

The spokesperson added that Epilim was used to treat a serious and potentially life-threatening condition.

Mrs Stockley-Pollard, from Bognor Regis in West Sussex, was diagnosed with epilepsy at 14 and had taken Epilim for 28 years.

She has been campaigning for more than 10 years for compensation, adding there has been no "further progress" so far.

"I've come to France hoping to get some ideas on how we can proceed in the UK, as they've been successful in France," she said.

"As parents we need to know the finance is there to provide care for our children when we're no longer around."

'Who will care for them?'

Victims in France are being compensated by the French government, as the country has a state-run compensation scheme for those affected by sodium valproate.

However, many French families have also launched civil cases against Sanofi.

French mother-of-two Marine Martin, from Perpignan, said she was awarded €300,000 (£263,366).

"What will the children do when their mother and father die? Who will care for them?" Mrs Martin asked the BBC.

"It's a shame for the UK government not to give money for the victims of valproate."

Mrs Martin's lawyer, Charles-Joseph Oudin, said Mrs Stockley-Pollard and other UK victims "needed to go back to fight in court and against the government".

"I can't understand why there is no such fund in the UK," he added.

Sodium valproate was first licensed for use in the UK in 1972.

It is estimated 20,000 children in the UK have been harmed because mothers unknowingly took the drug.

In 2020, a review by Baroness Julia Cumberlege found avoidable harm was caused to babies whose mothers took the drug.

This was supported in a review by England's Patient Safety Commissioner, Dr Henrietta Hughes, in 2024.

'Sympathies with those affected'

A spokesperson from Sanofi said they were "committed to working with all concerned stakeholders" to educate them about the risks of using valproate.

"All partners in the healthcare system have a role to play in providing information on risks and benefits of medicine to all patients who take them," they added.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Care said: "Our sympathies are with those affected and we are fully focused on how best to support patients and prevent future harm.

"The Government is carefully considering the work undertaken by the Patient Safety Commissioner and its report which sets out options for redress for those harmed by sodium valproate."