Gateshead family welcome anti-epilepsy drug review
Bethany Dodgson and her brother were left with fetal valproate syndrome after their mam took Sodium Valproate
A family from Gateshead is one of many celebrating today - as a review is launched into anti-epilepsy drug sodium valproate.
The Prime Minister announced a review yesterday, after pregnant women weren't warned the drug could lead to problems for kids developing.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the use of sodium valproate is one of three areas that the review will focus on. The anti-epilepsy drug has been linked to autism and learning disabilities in children when taken during pregnancy.
Bethany Dodgson's mam took it, and now Bethany and her brother have fetal valproate syndrome.
She said:
"The syndrome can bring on a wide range of difficulties - my brother's always been more affected by it, for example, he was born two months early and had a lot of medical complications.
"As he's getting older, more things are popping up."
Former Conservative Health Minister, Baroness Julia Cumberlege, will lead the review.