By Julie L’Hostis – [email protected]
The fight of families victims of Depakine, drug from the Sanofi laboratory, is progressing. This Wednesday, January 5, the class action was recognized admissible by the judicial court of Paris
“A big step has been taken”, rejoiced Nathalie Orti, this Wednesday, January 5, at the beginning of the afternoon. This mother of a Landes family, who had continued to take Dépakine to treat her epilepsy during her pregnancy and whose son, Esteban, was born with deformities and developmental delays, reacted to the decision of the Paris judicial court, declaring admissible group action led by the association of families of victims, Apesac.
“This is the first time that a judge has recognized Sanofi as responsible for a fault, that of a lack of vigilance and information on the risks of its drug. We needed to hear that, ”adds the resident of Misson and right-hand man to the whistleblower on the subject, Marine Martin.
Sanofi should appeal
Such collective health action is also a first in France. It was authorized since 2014, but in the field of consumption, before being extended in 2016 to health products. It allows patients who are victims of accidents linked to their treatment to come together in a single procedure, to seek redress in court. “We now have to wait to know what modalities will be applied, in order to know what criteria families will have to meet in order to stick to them. Procedures must really multiply to keep the pressure on Sanofi, ”insists Nathalie Orti, whose family also has an ongoing civil and criminal case.
Nathalie Orti and her son Esteban, victim of Dépakine, at their home in Misson, in the Landes.
Isabelle Louvier / “South West”
For its part, Sanofi has indicated its intention to appeal. “We expected it, slips the Landaise. They have been on this line of defense from the start, namely to repeat that they are not responsible for anything and to prolong the proceedings so as not to pay. Moreover, I understand less and less why, in these times of health crisis, the State does not claim the money owed to it by the laboratory concerning the compensation fund in which it still does not participate and continues to use the money. taxpayer’s money to assume it alone. “