Does Ondansetron Cause Birth Defects?

The anti-nausea medication ondansetron (Zofran) has been under fire lately with a slew of lawsuits filed against its maker GlaxoSmithKline for allegedly causing birth defects.

A study released in Reproductive Toxicology showed that the drug isn’t responsible for birth defects.

Researchers at UCLA conducted a retrospective study looking at data from more than 1,070 women who took the drug while pregnant. They compared the outcomes to two control groups. One group was comprised of 1,555 pregnancies where the mother did not experience Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) and one with 771 pregnancies of women who did experience HG but did not take Zofran.

Of the pregnancies where ondansetron was taken, five cases of heart defects were reported out of 952 infants. Compare that to the eight cases (of a group of 1,286 infants) among the group where HG wasn’t present and ondansetron wasn’t taken.

“What was really significant to me was that women with extreme morning sickness who took Zofran reported fewer miscarriages and terminations and experienced higher live birth rates,” study author Marlena Fejzo said in a statement. “Taking this medication helped them get through their pregnancies and gave them their desired outcome, a live birth.”

Click here to read the press release.

—Stephanie Vaccaro

Reference:

1. University of California – Los Angeles Health Sciences. UCLA study finds no evidence linking anti-nausea drug to birth defects [press release]. www.eurekalert.org. 2016 May 9.