Study sees limited risk in taking ondansetron during first trimester of pregnancy
Ondansetron (Zofran) is commonly and increasingly prescribed during pregnancy to relieve nausea. In 2014, an estimated 22 percent of pregnant women in the U.S. used the drug at some point during their pregnancy. Despite its prevalence, data on the safety of the drug and any effects on the developing fetus have been limited, with small-scale studies producing conflicting results. A new study by investigators at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) has analyzed data from more than 88,000 pregnancies in which pregnant women took ondansetron during the first trimester to examine the risk of cardiac malformations or oral clefts. In a paper published online in JAMA, the team reports no increased risk of cardiac malformations and a very small increased risk of oral clefts. “Use of ondansetron has increased over time, but only a handful of studies had been conducted to date and all were relatively small. We wanted to provide more...