Holland, 11 dead children. Pregnant women had taken Viagra

Alarm in Holland for the deaths of 11 children whose mothers had taken Viagra during pregnancy because they had inserted a clinical trial. The fetuses were at great risk of poor growth because of the problem of "placental insufficiency," a serious pathology of pregnancy.

The study

The research was conducted in 10 hospitals in Amsterdam and in other cities a total of 93 women. There is concern about the fate of 10 to 15 women waiting to find out if their child has been hit by the same symptoms that have resulted in the death of other young children born with severe lung problems. It is feared that the drug caused hypertension in the lungs and consequently a lack of oxygen that led to death.

Suspension

Researchers, relying on some experiments on mice, were convinced that Viagra could help. the fetuses in the growth improving the spraying of the blood towards the placenta thanks to its dilating effect on the vessels, but this is not the case. The prognosis of children, given the lack of available therapy, was considered rare. The experience – writes Guardian – was interrupted last week when an independent committee overseeing the research detected and linked the deaths. All participants were contacted personally and almost everyone was informed and they know if they took the drug or the placebo

The gynecologist: "I am shocked"

Research had started in 2015 and should have continued until 2020 with the participation of 350 patients. A spokesman for the UMC (University Medical Center) in Amsterdam said that the first internal audits excluded negligence or inappropriate behavior in the conduct of research. In an interview to the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant the director of research, the gynecologist Wessel Ganzevoort, said: "We wanted to show that it is an effective way to promote the growth of the I & # 39; child. But the opposite has happened. I'm shocked. The last thing you want is to hurt the patients. We have already informed Canadian researchers that they are conducting a similar study. In any case, they have temporarily interrupted their research, "he added.

The Commentary

The problem of placental insufficiency currently does not have any possible therapies." L & # 39; idea to use sildenafil, the active ingredient of Viagra, to help the development of the placenta is theoretically valid – says Ansa to Claudio Fabris, professor of neonatology at the University of Turin, commenting on the news – but unfortunately, there is always a risk of side effects in this type of experimentation. "The factors that induce this pathology are hypertension, advanced age, the presence of 39: A Twin Pregnancy