Research links epilepsy drug to autism

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Research links epilepsy drug to autism

Mon Dec 1, 2008 4:00pm EST

LONDON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - Pregnant women taking the

Sanofi-Aventis (SASY.PA: epilepsy pill Epilim may raise their

child's risk of developing autism, British researchers said on

Monday.

Their study published in the journal Neurology showed

children whose mothers took Epilim during pregnancy were seven

times more likely to develop the condition compared with babies

whose mothers did not take an epilepsy drug.

The preliminary findings on the drug, known generically as

valproate and sold as Depakine in the United States by Abbott

Laboratories , bolster previous research linking the drug

to problems during pregnancy.

But a researcher not involved in the study cautioned the

link to autism was preliminary and said women should consult

their doctors if they are concerned, noting seizures during

pregnancy can endanger both mother and fetus.

"It raises a question that should be pursued,"

Goldstein, a vice president of the American Academy of Neurology

who practices at Western Neurological Associates in Salt Lake

City said in a telephone interview.

"Women should not panic but instead talk to their

neurologist before becoming pregnant to determine whether

medicine is needed and what the best medicine is."

Other studies have shown that the drug is more likely to

cause birth defects than other epilepsy drugs, the researchers

said.

Sanofi spokeswoman said the drugmaker

welcomed the preliminary results from the study it partially

funded and was committed to improving treatments for women with

epilepsy, particularly during pregnancy.

The company also agreed with the researchers

acknowledgements of the study's limitations, including the

relatively small sample size for each of the groups.

Gus Baker and colleagues at the Liverpool and Manchester

Neurodevelopment Group looked at 632 children, about half of

whom were exposed to epilepsy drugs while in the womb.

Of the children whose pregnant mothers took an epilepsy

drug, 64 were exposed to Epilim, 44 to GlaxoKline Plc's Lamictal, 76 to Novartis AG's (NOVN.VX: Tegretol and 65

to other epilepsy treatments.

Tests at one, three and six years of age showed that nine

children had developed autism, and another showed signs of the

disorder whose symptoms range from severe social avoidance to

repetitive behaviours and sometimes mental retardation.

Seven of the autistic children had mothers who took an

epilepsy drug while pregnant, including four on Epilim and

another on a combination of the Sanofi drug and Lamictal, the

researchers said.

None of the children in the study had a known family history

of autism and the raised risk for the mysterious condition was

not seen with the other epilepsy drugs, the researchers said.

No one knows what causes the disorder affecting about 1 in

150 children but doctors agree there is a genetic component.

They also theorize that something in the environment -- and

possibly conditions in the womb -- can trigger the condition.

(Reporting by Kahn; Editing by Maggie Fox and Jon

Loades-)

© Thomson Reuters 2008 All rights reserved Carol in ILMom to , 8 DS My problem is not how I look. It's how you see me.Join our Down Syndrome information group - http://health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ DownSyndromeInfo Exchange/ http://downsyndromeinfoexchange.blogspot.com/Listen to oldest dd's music http://www.myspace.com/vennamusic