Mo. High Court Upholds $38 Million Verdict in Depakote Spina Bifida Case

ST. LOUIS — The Missouri Supreme Court has upheld a $38 million verdict to a woman who alleged her spina bifida was caused by her in utero exposure to Depakote, ruling that the evidence supported the jury’s finding that Abbott Laboratories Inc. failed to adequately warn of the antiepileptic drug’s risks.

In a Sept. 12 opinion, the state high court found the evidence showed that Abbott was aware there were studies indicating Depakote was much more dangerous in terms of birth defects than its label suggested, yet conducted no independent research to evaluate the drug’s risks for birth defects.

Minnesota …