Study reinforces vedolizumab, ustekinumab safety for expectant mums with IBD

Both vedolizumab and ustekinumab are safe to use in pregnant women with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), as reported in a study.

For the study, researchers used nationwide, comprehensive data from the EPI-MERES registry. They looked at pregnancies in women with IBD in France and exposure to IBD medications.

Pregnancy outcomes and complications in the offspring were compared according to treatment exposure during pregnancy. Propensity score matching for maternal, IBD, and pregnancy characteristics was applied in the analysis.

In total, 398 pregnancies exposed to vedolizumab were compared against 1,592 pregnancies exposed to anti-TNF, and 464 pregnancies exposed to ustekinumab were compared against 1,856 pregnancies exposed to antitumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF).

Relative to anti-TNF, neither vedolizumab nor ustekinumab contributed to heightened risks of abortion, caesarean section, stillbirth, preterm birth, serious infections, malignancies, or congenital abnormality in children. However, exposure to ustekinumab was associated with an increased risk of small for gestational age births.

Given the limited data available on the consequences of prenatal exposure to vedolizumab and ustekinumab, the findings provide reassurance regarding the safety of the two medications for pregnant IBD patients when compared with anti-TNF, according to the researchers. Nevertheless, more studies are needed to validate the data.