TL;DR: Ivermectin is safe for pregnant women and the babies of nursing mothers.
@jjchamie (on twitter) cited this study as evidence that ivermectin is safe for pregnant women:
Pacque et al.[45] carried out a prospective study in Liberia, where 14,000 people received the drug at 150 μg/kg. Out of some 4,000 women treated, 200 were inadvertently treated during pregnancy. No significant differences in birth defect rates, development status or disease patterns could be found when comparing with untreated mothers in the same population. These findings have been confirmed in hundreds of women in North Cameroon [46], Mali [47], Ghana [48] and Uganda [49]. Thus, pregnant women in onchocerciasis-endemic areas at high risk of loss of sight are no longer excluded from ivermectin treatment [50].
I'm not sure that "in onchocerciasis-endemic areas at high risk of loss of sight" is much of a qualification -- but it could be. That could imply that the risk of river blindness outweighs the risk to unborn children.
BUT the key observation is that in 5 different studies, women treated with ivermectin did not show an increased rate of birth defects or other downsides.
Ivermectin is also safe for the babies of nursing women who take ivermectin:
Ivermectin levels in human breast milk are low. After a single oral dose of 150 μg/kg in healthy women, Ogbuokiri et al.[51] found peak levels of 14.13 +/- 0.43 ng/ml after 6.5 hours. Therefore, a breast-fed new born would get a dose of only 2.75 μg/kg. It is no longer recommended to exclude nursing women during MDA of Mectizan in onchocerciasis-endemic areas [50].
[-] TrumpLyftAlles | 1 points | Aug 26 2020 00:33:12
TL;DR: Ivermectin is safe for pregnant women and the babies of nursing mothers.
@jjchamie (on twitter) cited this study as evidence that ivermectin is safe for pregnant women:
Pacque et al.[45] carried out a prospective study in Liberia, where 14,000 people received the drug at 150 μg/kg. Out of some 4,000 women treated, 200 were inadvertently treated during pregnancy. No significant differences in birth defect rates, development status or disease patterns could be found when comparing with untreated mothers in the same population. These findings have been confirmed in hundreds of women in North Cameroon [46], Mali [47], Ghana [48] and Uganda [49]. Thus, pregnant women in onchocerciasis-endemic areas at high risk of loss of sight are no longer excluded from ivermectin treatment [50].
I'm not sure that "in onchocerciasis-endemic areas at high risk of loss of sight" is much of a qualification -- but it could be. That could imply that the risk of river blindness outweighs the risk to unborn children.
BUT the key observation is that in 5 different studies, women treated with ivermectin did not show an increased rate of birth defects or other downsides.
Ivermectin is also safe for the babies of nursing women who take ivermectin:
Ivermectin levels in human breast milk are low. After a single oral dose of 150 μg/kg in healthy women, Ogbuokiri et al.[51] found peak levels of 14.13 +/- 0.43 ng/ml after 6.5 hours. Therefore, a breast-fed new born would get a dose of only 2.75 μg/kg. It is no longer recommended to exclude nursing women during MDA of Mectizan in onchocerciasis-endemic areas [50].
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