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Month: August 2022

Drugs to delay preterm birth are safe for global reduction in neonatal death

Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Health inequalities, Maternal health.

Women around the world should be able to access the best drug treatments that help to delay preterm births and improve outcomes for newborns, suggests new research.

Researchers from BHP founder-member the University of Birmingham worked with colleagues from the World Health Organization to review 122 randomised trials – published between 1966 and 2021, involving 13,697 women and conducted in 39 countries including high, middle and low-income states. The study, published in Cochrane Reviews, has allowed researchers to create a league table of drugs that delay birth, called tocolytics, based on their effectiveness and side effects.

Women benefitted from all preterm delay treatments included in the meta-analysis of studies, although the research team noted that the effectiveness of different drugs was less clear in some of the studies. The team also looked at the side effects of different drugs and combinations, including the likelihood of having to stop treatment.

The team have bought together the evidence on the benefits as well as the harms of these treatments (compared to no treatment or placebo), to arm clinicians and policy makers around with world with the information to decide upon the best treatment for the women in their care in their specific setting.

Dr Amie Wilson, Research Fellow Global Maternal Health at the University of Birmingham said: “The findings show that the benefits of these drugs outweigh any risks associated with unwanted side effects. These treatments are leading to a significant reduction in the number of deadly preterm births, and we now need to further understand the effectiveness of tocolytics for specific groups depending on pregnancy length.

“Our previous research has led to the improvement of guidelines for use of tocolysis drug use to delay preterm birth in the UK. Knowing that this paper helped to inform the forthcoming recommendations of the World Health Organization on the use of tocolytics, we hope that many more women around the globe will have access to these drugs, and have healthier births.”

Dr Victoria Hodgetts Morton, NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Obstetrics at the University of Birmingham and co-author of the paper said: “Preterm birth is the most common reason why a newborn baby may die, and the leading cause of death in children under five years of age.

“Tocolytics aim to delay preterm birth and allow time for the women to receive medicines that can help with baby’s breathing and feeding if born preterm, and medicines that lower the chance of cerebral palsy of the infant. Crucially, a short delay in preterm birth can enable women to reach specialist care.”

    Professor Peter Brocklehurst responds to the Women’s Health Strategy

    Written by Louise Stanley on . Posted in Birmingham Health Partners, Maternal health.

    The Chair of the Birmingham Health Partners Commission which led the Healthy Mum, Healthy Baby, Healthy Future report has welcomed the first ever Women’s Health Strategy for England to tackle the gender health gap.

    The commission set out a raft of recommendations for the UK to lead the development of safe, effective and accessible medicines for use in pregnancy. The key ambitions in the Women’s Health Strategy which are aligned to the recommendations from the Healthy Mum, Healthy Baby, Healthy Future report include:

        • Boosting participation of pregnant women in clinical research, particularly clinical trials, key components to improving maternal health outcomes for women and their babies
        • A greater use of routine health data to improve outcomes for pregnant women
        • Improving the safety of medicines in pregnancy to ensure women have access to high quality and updated information about medicines that they may need to take during pregnancy

    Commenting on the Women’s Health Strategy, Professor Peter Brocklehurst, Professor of Women’s Health and Director of Research and Development for the Birmingham Clinical Trials Unit (BCTU), said:

    “I am really pleased to see that women’s health is being given the prominence it needs and I find the plans outlined in the Women’s Health Strategy encouraging. It is vital that women are treated as equal partners in the delivery of their care and that they have the option to be included in research and clinical trials that affect them. Over 50% of respondents to the initial call for evidence felt that pregnancy should be included in the strategy, providing a clear message that healthy pregnancies are a health priority for women, their families and society.

    “The focus on the importance of research to continue to improve health is also very encouraging, however, there is little mention of the research needed to ensure that new therapies, particularly safe and effective medicines, are developed for many of the women’s health problems highlighted in the report. Investment in discovery science and the need for close collaboration with other groups, particularly the pharmaceutical industry, is essential if we are to continue to improve health outcomes for women.  I look forward to building on these plans with colleagues in Government and across sectors to reduce the gender health gap, place women’s voices at the heart of research, increase participation in research and ultimately improve maternal health outcomes for women and future generations.”

    Baroness Thornton – the Shadow Women and Equalities Minister, recently spoke about the Healthy Mum, Healthy Baby, Healthy Future report during her statement to the House of Lords on the Women’s Health Strategy. The full debate can be watched here. (Baroness Thornton’s speech starts at 16:07:05 and is answered by Baroness Penn at 16:23:45, she ends her point on the report at 16:25:15).