Aim: Influenza infection poses a severe threat to pregnant mothers, and antiviral treatment is recommended. However, the safety of neuraminidase-inhibitor antiviral medications during pregnancy has not been well described.
Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed to evaluate the adverse neonatal outcomes associated with exposure to neuraminidase inhibitors during pregnancy. The PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library databases were searched to identify potential studies for inclusion.
Results: Nine cohort studies that estimated adverse neonatal outcomes associated with exposure to neuraminidase-inhibitor medication during pregnancy were included. Exposure to a neuraminidase inhibitor during pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of congenital malformation (odds ratio [OR] 0.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.72-1.12, P = .341), low Apgar score (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.77-1.2, P = .733) or preterm birth (OR 0.99, 95% CI 0.89-1.09, P = .771) compared with no exposure. However, exposure to a neuraminidase inhibitor was associated with a reduced risk of low birth weight (OR 0.79, 95% CI 0.68-0.92, P = .002) and giving birth to a small-for-gestational-age infant (OR 0.78, 95% CI 0.69-0.88, P < .001). Further analyses limited to oseltamivir exposure were consistent with the overall results.
Conclusion: Exposure to neuraminidase-inhibitor medication during pregnancy does not appear to be associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. We recommend further studies to investigate this association, which will help clinicians determine whether to prescribe a neuraminidase inhibitor during pregnancy.
Keywords: antiviral; flu; maternal; prenatal.
© 2021 British Pharmacological Society.