Altace and Pregnancy

Altace is generally not recommended during pregnancy because of the risk it poses to the unborn child. Some of the complications it can cause in the fetus include low blood pressure, facial deformities, and kidney failure. Research studies on Altace and pregnancy have led to the classification of Altace as a pregnancy Category C medicine for the first trimester of pregnancy and a pregnancy Category D medication during the second and third trimesters.

 

Is Altace Safe During Pregnancy? 

Altace® (ramipril) is usually not recommended for women who are pregnant. This is because Altace can cause temporary or permanent problems (including death) in the the unborn child.
 

What Is the Risk of Using Altace During Pregnancy?

Prior to 2006, there was a common belief among healthcare providers regarding the use of Altace during pregnancy.
 The feeling was that problems with Altace and pregnancy were generally seen when the drug was taken during the second or third trimester of pregnancy. However, that changed when a study by researchers at Vanderbilt University was published in the June 2006 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. This study showed that there may also be an increased risk to the fetus if it is exposed to Altace during the first trimester. Whether the risk to the fetus is as great in the first trimester as it is in the second or third trimesters is not known.
 
Some of the complications seen with fetuses or newborns exposed to Altace during pregnancy include:
 
  • Low blood pressure (hypotension)
  • Developmental problems in the nervous system
  • Developmental problems of the cardiovascular system (this includes the heart and/or blood vessels)
  • Developmental problems with the lungs
  • Kidney failure
  • Deformities of the head and face
  • Loss of life.

 

(Altace and Pregnancy Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;