Pharmacy Daily | TGA pregnancy database

THE Therapeutic Goods Administration has launched a new online database giving guidance for health professionals involved with medicines and pregnant women. The database replaces the previous ‘Prescribing medicines in Pregnancy’ booklet which was last published in 1999. Users can search the database by generic name and by classification using a drop-down list, with links to explanations and safety statements. More than 1200 individual entries are on offer, including all new medicines and any changes of pregnancy category for existing medicines. The innovation was revealed in the latest Medicines Safety Update issued today, which also highlights recent developments in adverse reactions, including reports of thrombocytopenia in people taking quinine to treat muscle cramps. Health professionals are reminded that quinie is not approved for the treatment of nocturnal cramps because of its low efficacy and risk of thrombocytopenia. The update also details published case reports suggesting that stress cardiomyopathy may be an adverse effect of venlafaxine. There’s also an article on in utero antipsychotic exposure and neonatal extrapyramidal and withdrawal adverse effects.

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