Eleven babies died by a clinical trial in the Netherlands testing the effectiveness of Viagra given to pregnant women whose fetuses had growth problems. The researchers say it appears the drug, which stimulates blood flow, may have caused damage to the babies’ lungs, ultimately leading to their death.
The research was carried out at 10 hospitals throughout the Netherlands, involved 183 pregnant women whose babies had a severe growth limitation early in pregnancy. There is no familiar therapy to help these babies grow, and their prognosis was considered poor. But researchers believed that sildenafil, also known as Viagra, might help by stimulating blood flow in the placenta.
Viagra, which dilates the blood vessels, is used for erectile dysfunction in men and is prescribed for people with high blood pressure. The hope, backed up by experimental research on rats, had been that the drug would encourage a better flow of blood through the placenta, promoting the growth of the child.
In the Dutch study, 93 women had been given sildenafil and 90 got a placebo drug. Of the sildenafil group, 19 babies died. It is feared the drug caused high blood pressure in the lungs, leading to the babies receiving too little oxygen. There is nothing to suggest the trial was mishandled, the report said.
> Shiuly Rina
Giving Viagra to Dutch Women in Drug Trial Cause 11 Babies Death
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