The FDA on Thursday warned that children born to mothers who take Abbott’s Depakote (valproate) or generic versions of the drug during pregnancy have an increased risk of cognitive test impairment than children exposed to other antiseizure medications during pregnancy. The agency made the recommendation based on data from epidemiologic studies that demonstrated that foetuses exposed to continuous valproate and its related products later scored lower on cognitive tests than children born to mothers who took other antiseizure drugs. In 2009, a study published in the NEJM reached a similar conclusion.
