A recent Danish study indicates that babies born to women who took popular heartburn drugs during pregnancy do not appear to have an increased risk of birth defects, Bloomberg Businessweek reports. The class of heartburn drugs, which is known as proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs), include Prilosec, Prevacid and Nexium, according to the study. The study was published in the November 25 issue of New England Journal of Medicine and the researchers called the results "reassuring," according to the news source. Still, many experts continue to recommend using the drugs as little as possible during pregnancy. "In general, these are probably safe [...]

The Food and Drug Administration recently refused to approve a diet drug after an advisory panel previously found evidence that it could increase the risk of birth defects during pregnancy, the Washington Post reports. After the FDA advisory panel discovered the evidence of potentially adverse effects in July, it voted against the drug's approval, clearing the way for the agency's ultimate decision to block it from the market. Drug-development company Vivus Inc. told the news source that the FDA had sent it a letter raising a number of concerns about the diet drug for which it sought the federal agency's [...]

Research suggests that women who take antidepressant medications during their pregnancy have an increased risk of miscarriage, Time.com reports. According to a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal earlier this year, scientists at the University of Montreal reported that women taking these drugs – prescribed to treat depression and anxiety – had a significantly higher risk of miscarriage than those who did not take the drugs. The study is the first of its kind to analyze which specific drugs and dosage amounts are most associated with miscarriages, according to the news provider. In the study, research leader Anick [...]