Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the time taken for his Department to investigate the effects of valproate in pregnancy; and whether he plans to launch an independent review of that matter.

The report of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review was published on 8 July and one of the interventions it considered was sodium valproate. The Government has received the report and is carefully considering its recommendations. An update will be provided in due course.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is developing a valproate registry, which aims to monitor the use of valproate in girls and women in the United Kingdom, and to identify and monitor outcomes in any children born to women on valproate as well as ensuring compliance with the current regulatory requirements. There has been a gradual decline in prescribing of valproate to women of childbearing age over several years, and the MHRA is working with the National Health Service and professional regulators to ensure that women with epilepsy receive the healthcare they require.