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According to a World Health Organization (WHO) study released on Wednesday, a new formula for a drug to prevent postpartum hemorrhage could save thousands of lives in low- and middle-income countries . "For years, the medical community has been looking for a drug that was not heat-sensitive, which remained stable and effective at high temperatures, and now we have a candidate," said Metin Gulmezoglu, WHO coordinator for maternal health.
"The results of the study could not be better. We have the opportunity to save tens of thousands of lives in the poorest countries" Adds the. expert.
The new drug is called "carbetocin-a stable temperature" and is formulated so that can withstand temperatures of up to 30 degrees Centigrade and 75 degrees Celsius. % relative humidity without altering during three
To combat postpartum hemorrhage, oxytocin has always been used, but this drug should be stored at a temperature stable between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, both during transport and during storage, which is eminently impossible in many developing countries.
"At high temperature, oxytocin degrades, this has adverse effects, but is simply not effective.We have seen places where the necessary dose is inoculated three times as a method to balance the lack of efficiency, "says Gulmezoglu
About 70,000 women die each year in the world because of postpartum hemorrhage and, after the death of the mother, the risk of dying from their newborn is considerably increased.
Preventive method
Based on the results of the study, [19459004TheWHOestimatesthatinSeptemberwillbeabletorecommendtheuseof"carbetocin-stabletemperature" as a method to prevent postpartum hemorrhage.
The two molecules (oxytocin and carbetocin) are very similar, so they have very similar effects Only, the new drug is not sensitive to temperature changes.
"The idea is to recommend it as a preventive method not as a treatment, as it has been shown that if the product is inoculated to the mother in the first minutes after delivery, the chances of hemorrhage are reduced by 40 to 50 percent " explains Gulmezoglu.
The WHO recommends inoculating oxytocin to all women after delivery, which will not change with the inclusion of the new cure.
In addition, the expert recalled that oxytocin had other important uses during childbirth, such as induction
. Clinical Trial
The study was based on a clinical trial with approximately 30,000 women, the largest of its kind and never 23 countries in 10 countries: Argentina, Egypt, India, Kenya, Nigeria, United Kingdom, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Uganda.
For the time being, the stable temperature of carbetocin is allowed only used in clinical trials the new stage after successful results is to authorize and regulate their daily use.
The study was conducted in collaboration with MSD for Mothers, an initiative dedicated to finding solutions to reduce maternal mortality, and Pharmaceutical Ferring
Once the drug is regulated, the three entities will study how the to implement mbadively in countries where maternal mortality is high, since the agreement they signed prior to conducting the study included affordable distribution. low-income country.
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