Viagra series of tests because of eleven dead, but now canceled

Viagra experiments on pregnant women lead to infant death

Researchers in the Netherlands have now stopped their current study of Viagra because of the deaths of 11 babies associated with the drug.

In a recent study, doctors gave pregnant women the active ingredient Sildenafil. The drug Viagra should act as a kind of growth promoter. Unfortunately, several serious complications occurred, resulting in the death of eleven babies.

What causes Viagra?

The study included pregnant women whose placenta was underdeveloped in the uterus and who therefore had a high probability of preterm birth, the drug sildenafil. known as Viagra brand. Viagra is a well-known remedy for male erectile dysfunction. It dilates the blood vessels. The drug is also prescribed to treat high blood pressure, experts say.

Viagra should promote blood circulation in the placenta

The current study has shown that Viagra improves blood flow in the placenta and increases placental growth. Promote the child, explain the scientists. This hypothesis has been supported by experimental studies in laboratory rats.

More than 180 pregnant women participated in the study

The study was conducted in ten hospitals in the Netherlands. The subjects consisted of 93 pregnant women who received Viagra and a control group of 90 pregnant women. Participants in the control group received a single placebo. However, the survey had to be completed after an independent committee noted that more babies of mothers adopting Viagra were suffering from lung problems after birth – compared to babies born to mothers who had only received the placebo . Of the babies in the Viagra group, 17 had lung problems after birth. Eleven of these babies died later in the study, say the doctors. In comparison, only three babies in the control group developed lung problems and all affected babies survived, reports The Guardian.

Another study found no particular risk

The study began in 2015 and was expected to continue until 2020. Another study on Viagra as a drug promoting growth in the unborn child was published in 2017. However, this study did not provide convincing evidence of efficacy and did not pose any risks to patients, explain the experts. Similar studies on the effects of Viagra in pregnant women have been conducted in the United Kingdom by the University of Liverpool and the University of Auckland. However, the results of these studies were inconclusive.

Effects of Ingestion

Researchers hypothesize that the drug causes high blood pressure in the lungs. This has probably led to low oxygen levels in deceased babies. In a statement from Dutch doctors, it has been said that sildenafil could be harmful to the baby even after birth. The likelihood of blood vessel disease appears to be greater, and the likelihood of death after birth appears to have increased, according to the researchers.

An External Investigation Will Probably Be Initiated

Although the research will not be completed before 2020 if it had been completed correctly, doctors are now waiting for an external investigation to be completed company instead. (As)