Secular trends in the use of valproate-containing medicines in young
women in Europe: a multinational DARWIN EU® network study
Abstract
Valproate-containing medicines (VPA) are first-line treatment for
epilepsy; however, they pose teratogenic risks, restricting their use in
women of childbearing age. We aimed to estimate the secular trends in
use of VPA and alternative treatments in young women, and to
characterise dose/strength, treatment duration and indication in new VPA
users We conducted a population-based cohort study using primary care
records from the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, primary and outpatient
specialist care records from Germany and Belgium (and hospital records
from Finland, all mapped to the OMOP Common data model. All women
present in the databases aged ≥12 years and ≤55 years on 1st of January
of each year in the period 2010-2022 (or latest available), with at
least 365 days of prior observation were included. Incidence and
prevalence of VPA use in young women decreased between 2010 and 2021,
while prevalence of the alternative treatments pregabalin and gabapentin
increased, especially in CPRD (it rises from 0.5% to 1.5%). Median age
of new VPA users ranged between 40-43 years. Anxiety and depressive
disorder were frequent comorbidities, and use of hormonal contraceptives
low. Average treatment duration varied substantially across databases .
Incidence and prevalence of use of VPA among young women declined since
2015. Conversely, alternative antiepileptics have increased in uptake,
particularly gabapentinoids. The use of standardized federated analytics
allowed for a rapid assessment of VPA utilisation, supporting the
regulatory agencies in their decision making and improving patient
safety across Europe.