Have you ever heard of mycophenolate? This active principle (in particular marketed by the laboratories Biogaran, Mylan, Sandoz and Teva) belongs to the family of immunosuppressants, which means that it has the effect of attenuating the body’s immune reactions.
Sold in the form of capsules, drinkable suspensions or even gastro-resistant tablets, mycophenolate-based drugs are prescribed in particular to prevent the risk of rejection after an organ transplant – a kidney transplant, for example. They are also used in the treatment of certain autoimmune pathologies such as multiple sclerosis or lupus erythematosus.
A recent study by the EPI-PHARE Scientific Interest Group (conducted among 17,726 French women aged 13 to 49) shows that mycophenolate-based drugs are increasingly used by women of childbearing age: researchers thus highlight a 44% increase in the use of these drugs between 2010 and 2017, both in the context of transplants and autoimmune diseases.
Mycophenolate: a risk of malformation and miscarriage during pregnancy
Problem : in a point published this Monday, February 10, 2020, the ANSM recalls that due to “increased risk of birth defects [du fœtus], this immunosuppressant is contraindicated during pregnancy and in women of childbearing potential who are not using an effective contraceptive method“According to health authorities, mycophenolate is also responsible for miscarriages during pregnancy.
Researchers estimate that each year between 2010 and 2017, around 50 fetuses were exposed to mycophenolate. And, among the newborns concerned, 12% presented a diagnosis of malformation at birth …
What alternative to mycophenolate in pregnant women? The ANSM states that, in pregnant women or women wishing to have a child, mycophenolate-based drugs can be replaced by azathioprine-based drugs: this alternative is preferred in the event of a history of organ transplant. In women with no history of organ transplants, treatment is usually stopped – after medical advice, of course.
What are the ANSM recommendations? “Mycophenolate is contraindicated in pregnant women and in women of childbearing potential who do not use an effective and suitable contraceptive method, except in the absence of an appropriate therapeutic alternative (…). Mycophenolate is also contraindicated during breastfeeding“.
The health authorities add that women on treatment with mycophenolate must “continue to use effective and appropriate contraception” and “urgently consult a doctor in case of suspicion or discovery of pregnancy“. Message received !
Sources:
ANSM information point (February 2020)
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