Supplying valproate safely to women and girls – what you must do
You have a professional responsibility to make sure women and girls are informed about the risks of taking valproate in pregnancy and are aware of the Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP) so they can make informed choices.
Watch this video created by Central & North West London NHS Trust, in which a pharmacist talks to a patient about the risks of valproate and explains the Pregnancy Prevention Programme.
Valproate must not be given to any woman or girl able to have children unless there is a PPP in place. For women and girls, when they are dispensed valproate, they should expect:
- to be provided with a Patient Card every time valproate is dispensed
- for valproate to be dispensed with a copy of the patient information leaflet
- to be reminded of the risks in pregnancy and the need for highly effective contraception, and a reminder of the need for annual specialist review
- to be asked if they have received the Patient Guide
- that their dispensed medicine has a warning on the container. This is usually included on manufacturer’s packs but needs to be added if dispensed in a white box.
You must make sure that the patient label is not placed over the warning labels or warning sticker on the box. Women taking valproate have shared with us examples of where this has happened.
Copies of the Valproate pharmacy materials (warning sticker, patient guide, healthcare professionals guide, patient card and poster) can be obtained from manufacturer’s or viewed/printed from product pages on the electronic medicines compendium.
Manufacturers packs such as Epilim now have a perforated warning card which you can flip up or remove to reveal a space for the patient label. Make sure you keep the warning card with the box and give both to the patient.
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