Athar F, Ehsan M, Farooq M, Lo KB, Cheema HA, Ahmad S, Naveed A, Amir U. Adverse Fetal and Neonatal Outcomes following in-utero exposure to Oxcarbazepine: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Br J Clin Pharmacol 2022;
88:3600-3609. [PMID:
35591806 DOI:
10.1111/bcp.15413]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM
This systematic review aims to assess the safety profile of oxcarbazepine during pregnancy.
METHODS
Observational studies that included women who took oxcarbazepine anytime during pregnancy were included in our systematic review. The review did not include non-English articles, reviews, meta-analyses, case reports, and animal studies. Different online sources such as MEDLINE, Cochrane library, Virtual Health Library, etc. were searched for published and unpublished literature. Assessment of the risk of bias in observational studies was done using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The meta-analyses were performed using a random-effect model. GRADE was used for the evaluation of the quality of evidence for the primary outcomes.
RESULTS
We included 19 cohort studies with a total number of 5,071,137 patients, of which 2,450 were exposed to oxcarbazepine either as monotherapy or polytherapy. The summary odds ratio (OR) was 1.69 (95% CI, 0.95-2.98) for congenital malformations following in-utero exposure to oxcarbazepine as compared to the control group of unexposed patients [seven studies (n=625)], and was 1.19 (95% CI, 0.67-2.12) when compared to those following lamotrigine (LTG) exposure during pregnancy [3 studies (n=591)]. In total, three studies (n=770) reported the association between in-utero oxcarbazepine exposure and fetal/perinatal deaths. The meta-analysis yielded a summary OR of 3.33 (95% CI, 1.70-6.51).
SIGNIFICANCE
Our systematic review will help healthcare providers and guideline developers regarding the treatment of epilepsy and other neurological disorders during pregnancy. More cohort studies with a higher sample size concerning oxcarbazepine use in pregnant patients are required to truly assess the in-utero safety profile of the drug.
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