Drugs trials call for pregnant women

Pregnant women should be included in clinical trials for drugs, experts have suggested.

Pregnancy is a "natural state" which has been ignored by drugs companies for too long, according to an editorial in the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin.

Pharmaceutical companies should examine "safe" ways to involve pregnant women in trials for new medicines.

Around one in 10 pregnant women have a chronic medical disorder that requires regular use of drugs, and others develop problems during pregnancy, the bulletin says.

"The relative lack of information on the use of medicines during pregnancy remains an area of concern for healthcare professionals," the experts write.

Some medics are afraid of causing harm to patients and some women are fearful of taking drugs while pregnant because there is little published evidence about the risks and benefits.

"Although there are complex ethical issues associated with studying drugs in pregnant women, some researchers argue that it is unethical not to obtain dosing information for drugs that are frequently used by pregnant women," the editorial says.

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Drugs trials call for pregnant women