Depakine Scandal: Fathers, Risk, and Health Complications

2023-08-09 04:50:00

These were the first words that came to mind, the ones he needed to say immediately. “I’m sorry, my son,” said Yves Plagnat to Jérôme. The younger of his two children did not understand. “Sorry regarding what, dad?” You do not have to apologize. Apologizing for being epileptic, for taking medication to counter the seizures that rocked his body and, thirty years later, to learn that said pill is – perhaps – the cause of the autistic disorder diagnosed as a child in Jérôme.

Breaking the torpor of the beginning of August, theMedicines Agency in France has just sent a letter to health professionals. The missive indicates that taking Depakine (and its derivatives) by fathers might present a risk for the unborn child, if this famous antiepileptic was consumed during the three months preceding conception. After the mothers, it’s up to the fathers to be caught in the spiral of what those concerned consider to be one of the biggest drug scandals.

A lower risk for the father but still present

“As soon as we started talking regarding mothers, I said to myself: Why mightn’t it go through the father? launches Yves, who will celebrate his 63rd birthday in a few days. I had this doubt in me, but no proof. There, that’s it, they’re coming…” The retiree from Sète (Hérault) refers to a European study requested and obtained by the tenacious president of the Apesac victims’ association, Marine Martin.

Conducted in several Scandinavian countries, this analysis highlights an increased risk of around 6% in children whose father was treated with Depakine, Depakote or other Depamide, compared to 3% in those whose father was treated with another antiepileptic such as the Lamotrigine.

Depakine is used in particular in the treatment of epilepsy. Maxppp/PhotoPQR/Le Télégramme/Nicolas Creach

A much lower risk than on the maternal side – pregnant, taking these drugs increases fetal malformations by 11% and neurodevelopmental disorders by up to 40%. But a very present risk, even if the European Medicines Agency specifies that it has requested additional analyzes before drawing “final conclusions. »

Two pills per day at the time of conception

These documents, Yves has read them and keeps them carefully. He transmitted everything to Jérôme in order to give thin explanations to this son of whom he speaks with love. In 1974, Yves was 14 when one morning, upon rising, he collapsed. First in a long series of epileptic seizures. Is it the fault of this eardrum transplant to treat purulent otitis that did not work? A blow to the head he had recently received? Out of luck? The fact is that faced with the scale of the crises, the doctor first prescribed one and then two daily tablets of Dépakine, the product of the Sanofi laboratory whose effectiveness is not in question.

A few years later, the baker and pastry chef falls in love with Nathalie who in turn succumbs to her Paris-Brest, and her sweetness. “Destiny, an evidence,” she sums up modestly. Joëlle was born in 1992, then Jérôme two years later. As a toddler, he has difficulty walking, does not speak or speaks very little, does not allow anyone to approach him except his mother.

“He was diagnosed with mild autism,” comments Nathalie. By dint of speech therapists and health professionals, he has made enormous progress. It’s been hard, a long road for us and for him, but today he’s doing well. At almost 30 years old, the big, tattooed guy works in a food store, lives with his sister and has learned to channel the strong emotions that sometimes assail him.

“Let dads like me react”

Since the publication of the study, Yves has oscillated between “relief” of – perhaps – finally knowing and “guilt. ” That’s all ? “No, I’m angry too,” he says. All of this should never have happened. That’s why we won’t give up. Don’t give up, testifying first. “The words of fathers are rarer than those of mothers, who carry a lot of things! Dads like me have to react, inform, let people know, ”he urges.

Then, by going to court. “We are in the process of doing it”, confirms his lawyer, a history of the Dépakine file, Maître Charles Joseph-Oudin. “The new data should lead to an evolution of the 2017 law which allowed the creation of the compensation scheme for victims of Dépakine. It only includes mothers, which is now obsolete, ”argues the Parisian council. “Responsibilities must be recognized, on behalf of our children, continues Nathalie. It can’t stay a pebble in the water. »

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