Viagra test series because of eleven dead babies but now canceled

Trials with Viagra on pregnant women lead to the death of babies

Researchers from the Netherlands have now stopped their current investigation of Viagra because it has come to the death of eleven babies in connection with the drug.

In a recent study, the doctors gave pregnant women the drug sildenafil. The Viagra drug should act as a kind of growth promoter. Unfortunately, serious complications arose several times, resulting in the deaths of eleven babies.

Viagra helps with potency problems, but if given to mothers during pregnancy, it can contribute to the death of the baby. (Image: Soru Epotok / fotolia.com)

What does Viagra do??

The study included pregnant women whose placenta was underdeveloped in the womb and who therefore had a high probability of premature birth, the drug Sildenafil, which is known under the brand name Viagra. Viagra is a well-known remedy for male erectile dysfunction. It dilates the blood vessels. The drug is also prescribed to treat high blood pressure, say the experts.

Viagra should promote blood flow in the placenta

The idea behind the current research was that Viagra would improve blood flow in the placenta and then promote the baby's growth, the researchers explain. This assumption was supported by experimental studies on laboratory rats.

Over 180 pregnant women participated in the study

The study was conducted in ten hospitals in the Netherlands. The subjects consisted of 93 pregnant women receiving Viagra and a control group of 90 pregnant women. The participants from the control group received only one placebo. However, the investigation had to be terminated after an independent committee noted that more babies of Viagra adopting mothers suffered from lung problems after birth - compared to babies born to mothers who had received only placebo. Of the babies in the Viagra group, 17 suffered from lung problems after birth. Eleven of these babies died later in the study, say the doctors. By comparison, only three control-group babies developed lung problems and all affected babies survived, according to the English-language newspaper The Guardian..

Other study found no special risks

The study started in 2015 and should be continued until 2020. Another study on Viagra as a growth-promoting drug in the unborn child was published in 2017. However, this study did not provide convincing evidence of efficacy, nor did it pose a risk to patients, the experts explain. Similar studies on the effects of Viagra in pregnant women have been conducted in the UK by the University of Liverpool and the University of Auckland. However, the results of these studies were not really conclusive.

Effects of ingestion

The researchers assume that the drug causes high blood pressure in the lungs. This probably led to a low oxygen content in the deceased babies. In a statement of the Dutch physicians it was said that sildenafil could be harmful for the baby even after birth. The likelihood of blood vessel disease in the lungs seems to be greater, and the likelihood of death after birth also appears to have increased, say the scientists.

Presumably, an external investigation will be initiated

Although research should not be completed until 2020, if it continues properly, physicians now expect an external investigation to begin instead. (As)