Two mothers have described their years-long fight with a pharmaceutical company, doctors and the Government to secure compensation for thousands of children born with disabilities linked to a widely used epilepsy drug.
Emma Murphy, 45, from Salford, and Janet Williams, 62, who lives near Blackpool, have spent years gathering evidence about the use of sodium valproate during pregnancy.
Their investigation has also examined how Government regulators knew the medicine could have “devastating” consequences for unborn children, yet failed to ensure women were properly warned.
The pair have now told the story of their “David and Goliath” campaign in a landmark documentary, Mums v Big Pharma, which airs on BBC Two tonight at 9pm.
Taking sodium valproate while pregnant has been associated with a range of conditions, including autism, abnormalities affecting the skull, limbs, heart, kidneys, urinary tract and sexual organs, as well as deafness, delayed walking and speech, and reduced intellectual ability.
An estimated 20,000 children in the UK may have been affected since the 1970s. Professor Henrietta Hughes, England’s patient safety commissioner, has described the harm as “a bigger scandal than thalidomide”.
Professor Hughes led a Government-commissioned review into valproate and recommended a compensation scheme for families whose children have been affected.
But she said ministers had still failed to establish the scheme or provide a “substantive response” to her report more than two years after it was published.
Emma Murphy, left, and Janet Williams feature in Mums v Big Pharma on BBC Two
The mothers have spent years investigating the impact of the epilepsy drug sodium valproate
Mrs Murphy, who is married to Joe, has five children aged between 17 and 23, all of whom have been affected by valproate. She stopped taking the drug before becoming pregnant with her youngest child, Arron, who is now ten.
She said: “I was diagnosed with epilepsy at 12 and was quickly prescribed sodium valproate. No healthcare professional warned me that taking it during pregnancy could have devastating consequences.
“There was no mention of a syndrome. I trusted my doctors and continued taking the medicine, unaware of the harm it could cause. Then I found Janet, who, to be honest, saved my life.”
Mrs Williams, 62, is married to Steve, 65, and has two children, Lee, 36, and Philip, 34. She was about 16 when she developed epilepsy.
She said: “There were no warnings whatsoever in the medication leaflet, so I had no idea it could cause damage later in life. A neurologist never explained the risks. I was simply told, ‘Take these pills.’
“Because the medicine did not control my seizures, the dosage kept being increased. I had my first child in 1989, and that was when the extent of the damage became clear.
“Both my children experienced withdrawal. It was only later, when developmental milestones failed to appear, that we realised they had been affected.”
Mrs Williams joined other parents in bringing a clinical negligence claim against the NHS, but the case collapsed after legal aid funding was withdrawn.
Janet Williams, 62, from near Blackpool, is married to Steve, 65, and has two children
Janet Williams was taking sodium valproate while pregnant with her son Philip Williams, above
The mothers later sued manufacturer Sanofi. However, the company’s defence argued that it had passed all relevant information about side effects to regulators.
They then examined documents held at the National Archives in Kew, London. The records showed that in 1973, advisers on the Government’s Committee on Safety of Medicines acknowledged that anticonvulsants taken during pregnancy could cause abnormalities, although they considered the risk to be low.
The committee concluded that the evidence was not strong enough to justify stopping use of the drug.
Later that year, advisers again said the evidence was “not sufficiently conclusive” to force manufacturers of anticonvulsant medicines to issue a warning, arguing that doing so could cause “fruitless anxiety”.
The discovery marked a major breakthrough in the women’s campaign for justice. It contributed to one independent Government review and, several years later, the review led by Professor Hughes.
Despite those investigations, families affected by valproate have yet to receive compensation.
Mrs Murphy and Mrs Williams now want to meet Prime Minister Andy Burnham. They have submitted requests but say they have received no response.
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The pair accept that Sanofi may not be legally liable for what happened to their children, but argue that the company has a moral responsibility. Mrs Williams said the firm had “made millions off this drug while our children are born with lifelong, preventable disabilities”.
Addressing Mr Burnham, she added: “We have met him before, so he is fully aware. We hope this documentary will bring the issue into the open and help us move to the next stage.”
Janet Williams also took sodium valproate while pregnant with Lee, left, pictured with Philip, right
Philip Williams embraces his father Steve in their kitchen in the BBC documentary
Mrs Murphy said: “Recommendations for compensation have been made and there have been two Government reviews. We should not still be waiting. Interim payments should already have gone to the children and their families.
“The fact that officials continue to stonewall us means families caring for disabled children are being forced to campaign for help. It should never have come to this.
“Families should not have to appear on national television simply to tell their stories. It is appalling that the Government continues to delay. We hold ministers and regulators responsible.
“They knew when the drug was licensed that it could harm babies, yet made a deliberate decision to keep those warnings from women. That is truly horrific. You would never believe it could happen.
“So many children are living with disabilities. We have to keep going because nobody else is taking action. We should not have to fight this hard, but we will continue until these families get justice.”
Professor Hughes said: “A health system that protects patients must not only prevent future harm; it must also respond properly when harm has already occurred. Without accountability, failures continue, lessons are not learned and rebuilding trust becomes extremely difficult.
“There is no excuse for inaction. Thousands of people who have been harmed are living with complex health needs, while their families face the financial and devastating emotional consequences.
“Those affected need more than apologies. They need a clear route to redress that recognises what happened, establishes accountability and delivers a long-overdue sense of justice.”
The Department of Health said the Government was determined to make progress on its response to the Hughes report, acknowledging that those affected had already waited far too long for answers.
However, the department said no decision had yet been made on financial redress.
Sanofi said: “Sanofi understands the concerns of people affected by valproate and their families, as well as their need to be heard.
Emma Murphy and Janet Williams have taken their campaign for compensation to Downing Street
Janet Williams, Catherine Cox, Lee Williams, Patricia Alexander, Emma Murphy, Lauren Murphy, Jade Wright, Sarah Kirk and Matthew Cox walk to Downing Street to deliver a petition
“The use of valproate during pregnancy is an extremely complex issue involving many different parties, including the Government, regulators, doctors and other prescribers, pharmacists, manufacturers, patients and others affected.
“Valproate is an essential medicine used to treat serious and potentially life-threatening conditions. Its supply is subject to detailed regulatory requirements and oversight by the relevant authorities.
“We have provided information to regulators. Under their supervision and in line with their assessments and decisions, information has been supplied to healthcare professionals and patients as scientific understanding has developed.
“We remain committed to working with all relevant stakeholders to continue educating people about the risks and precautions associated with the appropriate use of valproate.”
Mums v Big Pharma comes from the co-producers of Mr Bates vs The Post Office.
Executive producer Ben Gale said: “When I first met Janet and Emma, I was struck by their passion, commitment and determination to do right by their children and the many other families affected by this scandal.
“It has been a privilege to work with them to bring their story to as wide an audience as possible. Whenever I tell people about the documentary, they are amazed they have not heard more about the issue.”
Tom Coveney, the BBC’s head of science commissioning, said: “It is shocking that in 2026 we still know so little about a birth-defects scandal that has been described as bigger than thalidomide and has continued for decades.
“Janet and Emma are intelligent, funny and extraordinarily determined. Their work, alongside that of other mothers, is genuinely inspiring.”
Mums v Big Pharma airs on BBC Two tonight at 9pm