Your Mission Identifying Risky Drugs During Pregnancy

Your Mission: Identifying Risky Drugs During Pregnancy

Thanks to a new training program led by a Montreal researcher, it may be possible to identify drugs that are at risk of causing birth defects or problems during pregnancy.

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“There is a lack of knowledge. More research is needed, stresses Anick Bérard, director of the Drugs and Pregnancy Research Unit at CHU Sainte-Justine. 75% of women in Canada take medication during their pregnancy, particularly for nausea, vomiting, infection, depression or anxiety.

However, pregnant women are mostly excluded from clinical trials required by Health Canada before a new drug hits the market.

It is therefore difficult for both a doctor issuing a prescription and a pregnant patient to know whether the benefits of a product outweigh the risks.

Identify teratogens

To remedy this, around forty researchers from around the world have joined forces to launch the CAMCCO-L platform, which Ms. Bérard will lead.

Anick Berard

Training is offered there, both for patients who want to take part in research and for researchers and students with the aim of “educating young scientists”.

The ultimate goal is to identify drugs that are teratogenic, meaning drugs that increase the risk of birth defects.

“Like thalidomide, notes Ms. Bérard. It’s a drug that was prescribed to pregnant women in the 1960s for nausea and vomiting. Nine months later we saw children born with deformities. For example, you might miss an arm.

Conversely, pregnant women could unnecessarily withhold necessary treatment due to a lack of data.

No treatment for her

For this reason, Cristina Longo believes in the importance of participating in research. During her first pregnancy, she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that affects her joints, among other things.

Anick Berard

“We couldn’t start the treatment because we didn’t know if it was safe. The same applies during breastfeeding, we don’t know if the drug is found in the milk,” emphasizes the ambassador of the new platform.

After talking to her doctor, she decided “not to take any risks” and only start treatment after starting a family.

Ms. Longo, who is 35 weeks pregnant with her second child, still suffers from pain that prevents her from playing her favorite sports like tennis and soccer and slows her down in her daily activities.

“Patients are experts on their pregnancy, and researchers need their experience,” says Anick Bérard, also a professor in the University of Montreal’s Faculty of Pharmacy.

  • Pregnant women, mothers and fathers can register on the CAMCCO-L website.

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