Sanofi To Pay €400K As Compensation For Epilepsy Drug-Related Side Effects

A French court has ordered Sanofi SA SNY to pay more than €400,000 in damages to a French family whose child had autism caused by its epilepsy drug Valproate.
The court mentioned that the company failed to inform about known side effects.
In January, the link was also recognized in a class-action ruling, potentially leading to millions of euros in compensation. However, Sanofi said it would file an appeal.
The latest ruling, seen by Reuters, states that Sanofi must have known the risk that the drug, if taken by pregnant women, could cause malformations and "neuro-behavioral disorders" in children, which should have been mentioned in its attached leaflet.
Sanofi said it would appeal the decision, adding that the drug's overall risk-benefit ratio is positive.
"I hope that Sanofi will change its position and start compensating the victims now that more and more court decisions are being rendered," Martin, the mother of a child suffering from Depakine side effects, told Reuters on Saturday.
French health authorities have estimated the drug was responsible for deformities in between 2,150 and 4,100 children and neurodevelopmental defects in up to 30,400.
Sanofi was placed under formal investigation in 2020 on charges of manslaughter but rebutted those charges and said it would challenge the merits of the investigation.
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