Can Pregnant Women Take Teveten?
Teveten® (
eprosartan mesylate) is a prescription medication used in the
treatment of hypertension (
high blood pressure). It belongs to a class of drugs called angiotensin II receptor blockers, or ARBs for short. Teveten is not recommended for use in women who are pregnant, as it can harm an unborn child.
What Is Pregnancy Category D?
The U.
S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now categorizes Teveten as a pregnancy Category D medicine for all trimesters. Previously, it was a Category C medicine for the
first trimester and a Category D medicine for the second and
third trimesters.
The FDA uses a category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category C is given to medicines that have not been adequately studied in pregnant humans but did appear to cause harm to the fetus in animal studies.
In addition, medicines that have not been studied in any pregnant women or animals are automatically given a pregnancy Category C rating.
Pregnancy Category D is a classification given to medicines that have been shown to present a risk to the fetus in studies of pregnant women but may still offer benefits that outweigh the risks the drug presents. A pregnancy Category D medicine may still be given to a pregnant woman if the healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the woman outweigh the possible risks to her unborn child.
HealthSavvy Sign In
|
