Are COVID-19 medications safe in pregnancy?
Most medications being tested today in clinical trials for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been repurposed from other indications. These are typically not tested in pregnant women. A new study, published in the journal
PLOS ONE, summarizes what is known about the safety of these drugs in this group.
Background
Pregnant women with COVID-19 are at a higher risk for hospitalization, intensive care unit (ICU) admission and mechanical ventilation, compared to their non-pregnant peers, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A multi-continent study from the World Association of Perinatal Medicine Working Group on COVID-19 reported the risk of ICU admission to be 11%, and the mortality 0.8%, in this group.