Viagra in pregnancy study stopped after 11 babies die

[nitpicker]

https://www.dw.com/en/viagra-in-pregnancy-study-stopped-after-11-babies-die/a-44813572

Viagra in pregnancy study stopped after 11 babies die

Date 24.07.2018

Dutch doctors and researchers announced Monday that a study involving Viagra and pregnant women had been halted with immediate effect after 11 infants died due to lung conditions possibly linked to the drug. The study, carried out at the Amsterdam University's Academic Medical Center (AMC) in conjunction with 11 Dutch hospitals, involved administering the drug sildenafil, more commonly known by its brand name Viagra, to pregnant mothers whose babies were severely undeveloped in the womb.
(snip)

Doctors wanted to see whether the drug could "stimulate the growth of the unborn child" who faced a negative prognosis. "The first results of the current study showed that there may be adverse effects for the baby after birth," the center's statement continued. It added that the side effects revealed in the study had not been seen before.

Starting in 2015, the study involved 183 pregnant women, roughly half of whom received sildenafil while the others received a placebo.

Out of the 93 women who took the drug, 19 saw their babies die after birth, with 11 deaths possibly due to high blood pressure in the lungs that may be linked to the drug. Six other babies also had the same lung condition but survived.

Nine babies from the placebo group of 90 women died. None of the placebo deaths were due to the lung condition. Three babies from the placebo group developed the same lung condition as those in the sildenafil group. All three survived. The drug was shown to have no effect on the mothers. About 15 mothers in the drug trial group have yet to give birth.
(snip)

[snowybirdie]

1. Maybe I'm mistaken

but it's the men who take Viagara. Why would a woman ingest it? Sounds like medical malpractice.

[phylny]

3. It does sound like medical malpractice, but until her insurance company and Medicare nixed it, my

mother-in-law took Viagra to improve blood flow, and that's probably what they were trying to do here.

[snowybirdie]

8. Thanks

Learned something new today

[Cousin Dupree]

5. Doctors used it to treat Pulmonary Hypertension in both sexes. It is a vasodilator.

[Squinch]

2. What the hell? Since when do we conduct experiments like this?

[PJMcK]

6. All of the time

Medical research is going on all over the world in every area of medicine.

[PJMcK]

4. Sildenafil was invented for cardiovascular treatments

The drug's usefulness in treating erectile dysfunction was an unintended consequence.

From Wikipedia:

Sildenafil, sold as the brand name Viagra among others, is a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension.

(snip)

The use of sildenafil and an α1 blocker (typically prescribed for hypertension or for urologic conditions, such as benign prostatic hypertrophy) at the same time may lead to low blood pressure, but this effect does not occur if they are taken at least 4 hours apart.

More information here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sildenafil