At the heart of the Depakine scandal, a drug it has marketed for over fifty years, the pharmaceutical group Sanofi announced Monday evening its indictment for "aggravated deception" and "involuntary injuries". The investigation was launched in September 2016.
The molecule in question, sodium valproate, has been marketed since 1967 under the brand name Depakine by Sanofi, but also under generic brands. It is prescribed for people with bipolar disorder, but it is at high risk of birth defects on the fetus if it is taken by a pregnant woman.
An amicable compensation system for victims was set up in 2017 at the National Office for Compensation of Medical Accidents. Last October, Oniam announced that it had offered a total of 6.5 million euros in compensation to 31 victims of the drug. Nearly 2,000 claims for compensation have been filed. At the start of 2019, Sanofi had refused to contribute to compensating the victims of its product.
