Mums Vs Big Pharma 9pm BBC tonight

[Unbelievabl]

I heard this on the radio this morning.

From the makers of the post office scandal.

It’s already on iplayer so I just watched it. I can’t believe what I have actually just watched.

And to top it I can’t believe the statements the agencies have written at the end.
Just lies. Our government and the associated agencies - just liars. Again and again!

How does this keep happening.

Why do we need a tv show to do the right thing.

It’s literally disgusting behaviour and I am so sick of it.

Why do we need an "AIBU" thread on it too, @Unbelievabl ?

Surely just post in here next time https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/telly_addicts

Plenty of "traffic" if that's what you seek.

Because it’s not really a telly issue is it. It’s systemic failure, imbedded corruption, again and again.

Anyway yes I am hoping for traffic.

Please feel free to do a post in telly addicts to let people know

What's it about?

Big Pharma is a Big Topic. Can you narrow it down?

(hmm. Fancy a Topic now)

Sodium Valproate which is harmful to unborn babies. That's all I know (mostly from working in MH where we had to make sure that women on SV were also using adequate contraception).
Don't have a TV license so can't watch but I assume it's akin thalidomide scandal.

Just to add in response to the OP: we don't "need a TV show to do the right thing". This is old news and regulations around SV changed quite some time ago. By the time I was working clinically (2020), we were already observing the new guidance.

The agency that was set up in the wake of the thalidomide scandal - one of the first things they did was suppress the tetrogenecity of sodium valoprate (ie. Hid from mothers by removing warnings on boxes that it would likely cause severe problems in their children).

They said oh we can tell the docs. Just not the people. Obviously in however many years that information got lost and doctors in the end didn’t know either.

20000 children affected.
Decades of trying to wiggle out of it.
Only managed to get the warnings on the box after digging up info from the 70s and taking to the government showing they did in fact know all along.
Still no compensation.

Yes seems to be the topic -
www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgz0pg9d17o

Is this Roaccutane related?

No. Epilim - Sodium Valporate

Used for epilepsy and (now also bipolar according to Google.)

Just to add in response to the OP: we don't "need a TV show to do the right thing". This is old news and regulations around SV changed quite some time ago. By the time I was working clinically (2020), we were already observing the new guidance.

We clearly do because not a penny has been paid to those affected.

And no it’s not old news. Only in 2018 did they finally agree to add a warning. And only in 2023 did they actually enforce that properly.

https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/news/valproate-boxes-must-now-contain-safety-warnings

Mums have been fighting this since the 90s. They knew about this problem in 1974! The drug manufacturers TOLD the agency literally set up due to the thalidomide scandal.

It’s beyond scandalous. It’s practically evil.

I watched it on iplayer over lunch. Absolutely heartbreaking for those families, and it was known since the 70s that it caused birth defects.

I’m on anti-seizure meds (not valproate), but thankfully beyond childbearing age, I’d be very careful taking them if I was ttc now.

@KnickerlessParsons- Roaccutane has massive warnings about not becoming pregnant all over the packaging. My DS was on it last year.