Mandatory specialist approval requirements reduce valproate prescribing: population-based evaluation of a National Patient Safety Alert
The 2023 NPSA alert achieved valproate prescribing reductions across England through mandatory procedural requirements. The two-specialist approval proved effective where previous educational interventions failed. However, given this restricts access to a highly effective antiepileptic drug, particularly for generalised epilepsies, prospective studies evaluating seizure control outcomes following valproate withdrawal are needed to assess the impact of these regulatory restrictions.
Authors
- Kaiyang Song (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7359-5506)
- James Benjamin Galloway (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1230-2781)
- Mark Russell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8171-7772)
- Rajiv Mohanraj (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2559-148X)
- Sam Norton (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1714-9963)
- Katie Bechman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7552-0463)
- Matt Jones (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4723-3277)
- Mark Gibson
Institutions
- King's College London (GB)
- University of Manchester (GB)
- Northern Health and Social Care Trust (GB)
- Salford Royal Hospital (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- BMJ Quality & Safety
- Published
- 2025-11-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjqs-2025-019415
- Primary Topic
- Epilepsy research and treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Institute for Health and Care Research
- British Society for Rheumatology