Congenital, hereditary, and neonatal diseases and abnormalities

Prenatal exposure to newer antiepileptic drugs appears not to affect cognitive development

Use of newer antiepileptic drugs in pregnant women appears not to affect cognitive abilities in the offspring but valproate lowers IQ, study finds.…

No link between antipsychotic use and birth defects

There is no association between antipsychotic use in the first trimester and congenital malformations, study finds.…

Paracetamol use in pregnancy linked to childhood behaviour problems

Prenatal exposure to paracetamol (acetaminophen) is associated with an increased risk of behavioural problems among children by the age of seven, according to a study.…

NICE rejects £104,000 lumacaftor/ivacaftor therapy for cystic fibrosis

The high cost of combination treatment lumacaftor/ivacaftor (Orkambi) means it has not been recommended for use in the NHS in England and Wales for cystic fibrosis (CF), draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) says…

Maternal smoking increases schizophrenia risk in offspring

Risk of schizophrenia increased by 38% for babies with greatest exposure to cotinine.…

Pregabalin linked to major birth defects

Exposure to pregabalin during pregnancy associated with three-fold increase of non-chromosomal birth defects.…

Migalastat set for approval as first oral therapy for Fabry disease

The European Medicines Agency has recommended the approval of migalastat for the treatment of the rare genetic disorder Fabry disease.…

Overview of drug treatment in neonatal care

‘NICU Primer for Pharmacists’, by Amy P. Holmes.…

Painkiller use during pregnancy linked to reduced fertility in offspring

Indomethacin and paracetamol use in female rats results in offspring having low ovary weights and reduced litter sizes.…

Gene editing used to treat muscular dystrophy in mice

CRISPR/Cas9 system injected into muscle or bloodstream restored function of dystrophin gene, marking an important step in gene therapy research.…