§ Mr. LuffTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the safety of epilim and other anti-convulsant drugs for use by pregnant women; and if he will make a statement. [61623]
§ Ms JowellEpilim and other anticonvulsant drugs, as for all marketed medicines, are assessed by the Department to determine their safety for use by pregnant women. Available relevant research is assessed at the time of granting a Marketing Authorisation for a product and continues to be evaluated on an ongoing basis by the Medicines Control Agency. Risks to the foetus are recognised for anticonvulsant therapies and information about whether and how to use medicines in pregnant patients can be found in the authorised product information for health professionals and patients. The risks of loss of epileptic control need to be weighed against the risks to the foetus of these treatments. General prescribing advice on the use of antiepileptic therapy in pregnancy can be found in the British National Formulary.