A MOREDON mum has welcomed moves to ban an epilepsy drug that she says left her son severely disabled.

Natasha Mason, 28, was not warned about the dangers of taking Epilim while she was pregnant. It left her son Alfie, now three, with autism and severely delayed in his development.

Today, medicines regulator the MHRA issued new guidance – stopping doctors from prescribing epilepsy drugs containing sodium valproate to girls and women of childbearing age, unless their patients sign a disclaimer saying they understand the risks.

Reacting to the news, mum-of-one Natasha said: “I’m absolutely ecstatic. It’s what quite a lot of people have been fighting for over many years, although it’s come too late for quite a few families.

“Hopefully, with the MHRA banning it there won’t be any families in the future who will be affected by it.”

Sadly, it’s too late for little Alfie. He was just two-days-old when nurses took him away to GWH’s special care baby unit, where he spent two weeks and had to be fed through a tube.

When he was 10 months’ old, a consultant diagnosed foetal valproate syndrome, caused by the valproic acid in the Epilim pills Natasha took during her pregnancy.

Now three, Alfie isn’t like other youngsters his age: “He’s very delayed in his development: he’s non-verbal, he’s got severe autism and he’s also got a chromosome deletion.”

Epilepsy campaigners have campaigned for sodium valproate drugs, such as Epilim, to be withheld from women – saying that one in five women taking the drug are not aware of the potential harm taking it during pregnancy can do to their baby.

Simon Wigglesworth, deputy chief executive of Epilepsy Action, said: "We know there are still far too many women who haven't been made aware of the potential risks of taking sodium valproate in pregnancy.

"It is vitally important that healthcare professionals ensure that all women with epilepsy taking sodium valproate are reviewed in line with the new guidelines."

Dr June Raine, a director at the MHRA, said: "Patient safety is our highest priority. We are committed to making sure women and girls are aware of the very real risks of taking valproate during pregnancy. However, we also know it is vitally important women don't stop taking valproate without first discussing it with their doctor.”

She thanked families involved in the Valproate Stakeholder Network, who were consulted by the MHRA over the valproate ban.