Pregnancy and the Pharmaceutical Industry

Book excerpt: Pregnancy and the Pharmaceutical Industry: The Movement towards Evidence-Based Care for Pregnant Women explores the issues surrounding the decision to undertake clinical trials with pregnant women. There is currently a lack of data on the safety and effectiveness of medications used during pregnancy as it is impossible to extrapolate that information from drug studies on men and non-pregnant women. As a majority of pregnant women confront a medical condition during their pregnancy, from simple pain, to ongoing or new medical issues, this book quantifies the current absence of pregnant women in drug studies and identifies ethical issues, barriers, litigation fears and opportunities. Those in the pharmaceutical industry, IRB members who approve or deny drug study plans, doctors, nurses and midwives working in obstetrics or involved in conducting studies at their institutions will find this book an essential resource. - Explores the medical, ethical, scientific and legal rationales behind the inclusion of pregnant women in drug studies - Describes how pharma and biotech companies can safely implement the new FDA guidance and begin to include pregnant women in drug testing - Shares views from pharmaceutical industry insiders about company risks, reluctance to implement guidance, and the ultimate need to include pregnant women in studies