Avapro and Pregnancy

Potential risks to a fetus are associated with Avapro, and pregnancy Category C and D classifications have been given to the drug. Pregnancy Category C means that side effects on a fetus were present in animal studies. Pregnancy Category D means there is clear evidence of risk to a fetus in human studies. Fetal complications associated with Avapro and pregnancy include kidney failure, facial deformities, developmental problems, and loss of life.

Avapro Medication

Avapro and Pregnancy: An Overview

For people who are pregnant, Avapro^® (irbesartan) is usually not recommended. This is because during pregnancy, Avapro can cause temporary or permanent problems for the unborn child, including death.

Avapro and Pregnancy: What Is the Risk?

Prior to 2006, the belief among healthcare providers was that problems with Avapro 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, in fact, also be an increased risk to the fetus if it is exposed to drugs like Avapro during the first trimester. Whether the risk to the fetus is as great in the first trimester as in the second or third trimester is not known.

Some of the complications seen with fetuses or newborns exposed to Avapro during pregnancy include:

Low blood pressure (hypotension)
Developmental problems with the nervous system
Developmental problems with 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.

(Avapro and Pregnancy Continued: Page 2)