NEW ORLEANS—Exposure to disease-modifying multiple sclerosis (MS) drugs could adversely affect the fetus, according to a study that was presented at the 64th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.
In addition, women with MS who took interferon beta before conception or during pregnancy had an increased risk of preterm birth (ie, at a gestational age of less than 37 weeks). Babies born to these women also had an increased risk of lower birth weight and shorter birth length. Both measures were still within the normal range for the general population, however.
In utero exposure to mitoxantrone, in particular, could harm offspring. Although no controlled human studies of mitoxantrone’s effects on unborn children have been performed to date, animal studies and human case reports suggest a risk of fetal harm after the mother or father is exposed to the drug, reported Ellen Lu, a PhD student at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
More Headlines