Study published in Neurology potentially links Lyrica (pregabalin/pregabalin controlled release) to birth defects.- Pfizer

Pfizer’s Lyrica (pregabalin/pregabalin controlled release) confronts questions of safety after a study published in Neurology reported a possible link between the drug and birth defects when taken by pregnant women. Supported by the American Academy of Neurology, the study investigated drug in 164 pregnant women in 7 countries. The team found that for women who took Lyrica during the first trimester, “major birth defects” were three times as likely than for the women who didn’t take antiseizure drugs.

The results were measured against a group of 656 pregnant women not taking antiseizure drugs. Seven out of 116 pregnancies (6%) in the Lyrica group had major birth defects compared to a birth defect rate for the larger group of 12 out of 580 pregnancies (2%). The birth defects included problems with the central nervous system, the heart and other organs.According to the investigators, the Lyrica group was 6 times more likely to have a CNS “major defect.” The team noted four CNS problems out of 125 pregnancies (3.2%) compared to three out of 570 pregnancies (.5%) for the non-Lyrica arm.

See-"A common medication for neuropsychiatric illnesses may cause common problems in pregnancy"- Page B. Pennell, MD and Kimford J. Meador, MD Published online before print May 18, 2016, Neurology 10.1212/WNL.0000000000002780.