The emerging story of Sodium Valproate in British newspapers- A qualitative analysis of newspaper reporting.

Background: Sodium valproate is a significant human teratogen. Newspapers are a potential source of useful public health information, but the extent to which concerns around valproate were presented to the public via newspapers has not been evaluated.Aim: To explore how sodium valproate has been portrayed by UK newspapers over the last several decades.Method: Thematic analysis of all newspaper articles up to July 2020 with key terms 'Valproate' and 'Epilim'. Articles were retrieved with LexisNexis. Temporal variation in thematic content was analysed.Results: 275 articles were identified for analysis. Teratogenicity was the key theme in 86% of newspaper articles, failure of duty of care of medical professionals to communicate the risks of valproate in 68%, improving its regulation with public health interventions in 51% and litigation against Sanofi who produce valproate in 31%. Reporting was minimal pre-2000 and peaked in the recent 5 years.Conclusion: Issues surrounding valproate have been covered by UK newspapers, with a predominant focus on its teratogenic effects.

Automated summary

Overall, UK newspapers have mainly focused on the teratogenic effects of sodium valproate in their coverage, while also mentioning issues such as medical professionals' failure to communicate risks, improving regulation, and lawsuits against the manufacturer. The number of articles has been minimal in the past few decades but has increased in the recent five years.