Heat-Stable Carbetocin Could Save Thousands Of Women’s Lives By Preventing Excessive Postpartum Bleeding, WHO Study Shows

BBC News: Revamped drug could save lives of many new mothers — WHO
“A revamped drug that can withstand extreme heat and stay effective for 1,000 days could ‘revolutionize the ability’ to keep new mothers alive, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. The medicine — known as heat-stable carbetocin — helps prevent sometimes fatal bleeding after women give birth…” (Mundasad, 6/28).

NPR: Saving Moms’ Lives During Childbirth Just Got Easier
“…A few years ago, chemists at Ferring Pharmaceuticals developed a heat-stable version of an oxytocin-like molecule, which retains its potency even after sitting at 86 degrees Fahrenheit for three years, or 104 degrees Fahrenheit for six months. WHO then led a massive trial around the world to test the new drug — called heat-stable carbetocin…” (Doucleff, 6/27).

Reuters: Heat-stable drug could save thousands from post-childbirth bleeding: WHO
“…The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Wednesday, found that carbetocin — a heat-stable drug — is as safe and effective as oxytocin in preventing postpartum bleeding…” (Kelland, 6/27).

U.N. News: WHO study reveals ‘game-changer’ drug with potential to save thousands of women’s lives in childbirth
“…WHO notes that approximately 70,000 women die annually from postpartum hemorrhage — increasing the risk that their babies will also die within a month. In the largest clinical trial of its kind, close to 30,000 women who gave birth vaginally were studied in Argentina, Egypt, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, and the United Kingdom…” (6/27).

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