Drug Development for Pregnancy Related Conditions

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There's been nothing new developed for the treatment or prevention of preoclempsia for forty odd years. The impact of those conditions has barely changed, apart from radical improvements in t innately intensive care for pretern babies. But i think we're seeing a sea change wethpeople understanding that lack of drug development is as bad, if not worse, than the potential risks of developing new medicines. We can now find out whether a medicine crosses the placenta and gets into breast milk. I think we can do that and be more confident about it.

A recent report on the exclusion of pregnant and breastfeeding women in clinical trials found that both women and babies in the UK are “dying needlessly” from a lack of suitable medications. Over the past 40 years, only two new medicines have been approved for use in pregnancy, leaving patients to weigh up unknown risks and make difficult decisions about their own health and that of their babies. Science editor Ian Sample talks to Peter Brocklehurst, professor of women’s health at the University of Birmingham, about why pregnant women are so often excluded from pharmaceutical research and how we can make sure they too benefit from modern medicine. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod