ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Nearly half of pregnant women who received medications other than vitamins may be taking potentially unsafe drugs, a study has found.
Sixty-four percent of women studied were dispensed a medication other than a vitamin or mineral supplement while pregnant, and almost 40 percent of them were given a drug for which human safety has not been established by the Food and Drug Administration, the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology reported.
"The findings of this research clearly show clinicians need state-of-the-science information about which medications are safe and appropriate for their patients during pregnancy," said Dr. Carolyn Clancy, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services.
For the study, researchers reviewed data from eight HMOs, focusing on prescription drug use by 152,531 women who delivered an infant in a hospital during a five-year period that ended on Dec. 31, 2000. The review was based on the FDA's risk classification system of drugs during pregnancy.
