New study: Flu medicine does not affect the fetus

(Baonghean.vn) - On March 1, 2017, the medical journal BMJ published a study showing that the fetus is not affected when the mother uses drugs to treat the flu virus.

The study is the largest to date to assess the potential risks of using oseltamivir or zanamivir (also known as Tamiflu and Relenza) – two main drugs used to treat influenza viruses – during pregnancy, the researchers said.

Pregnancy always requires mothers to pay close attention to their health. Photo Internet.

Researchers compared 5,824 pregnant women and their children in several European countries including Denmark, Norway, Sweden and France – who were prescribed oseltamivir or zanamivir between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2010 – with 692,232 pregnant women who did not use either drug.

Concerns about drug use that were addressed in the study included low birth weight, low Apgar scores, preterm birth, postnatal mortality, stillbirth, or birth defects.

As a result, the research team found that children born to mothers who used Tamiflu or Relenza – two drugs that inhibit the activity of neuraminidase (sialidase) antigens on the surface of influenza viruses – did not have an increased risk of adverse outcomes associated with exposure to neuraminidase inhibitors during pregnancy.

Flu outbreaks often occur during the winter, putting millions of pregnant women at risk of illness. As a result, doctors have previously advised pregnant women against using flu medications, “in the absence of sufficient knowledge about their safety and effectiveness.”

In conducting the study, the team also acknowledged shortcomings, including that they did not assess risks to fetuses under 22 weeks of age, the study was only conducted on pregnant women in Europe, and it is not known whether pregnant women who were prescribed the drugs actually used them.

Dawn

(According to Channel NewsAsia and The BMJ)