Pamela E. Scott

Validity of health plan and birth certificate data for pregnancy research

To evaluate the validity of health plan and birth certificate data for pregnancy research.

Outpatient use of cardiovascular drugs during pregnancy

To provide information on the prevalence of use of cardiovascular drugs, some of which may have fetotoxic or teratogenic effects, in the outpatient setting among pregnant women in the United States.

Trends in the use of antiepileptic drugs among pregnant women in the US, 2001-2007: a medication exposure in pregnancy risk evaluation program study

BACKGROUND Little is known about the extent of antiepileptic drug (AED) use in pregnancy, particularly for newer agents. Our objective was to assess whether AED use has increased among pregnant women in the US, 2001-2007. METHODS   We analysed data from the Medication Exposure in Pregnancy Risk Evaluation Program (MEPREP) database, 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2007. We identified liveborn deliveries among women, aged 15-45 years on delivery date, who were members of MEPREP health plans (n=585615 deliveries). Pregnancy exposure to AEDs, determined through outpatient pharmacy dispensing files. Older AEDs were available for clinical use before 1993; other agents were considered newer AEDs. Information on sociodemographic and medical/reproductive factors was obtained from linked birth certificate files. Maternal diagnoses were identified based on ICD-9 codes. RESULTS   Prevalence of AED use during pregnancy increased between 2001 (15.7 per 1000 deliveries) and 2007 (21.9 per 1000 deliveries), driven primarily by a fivefold increase in the use of newer AEDs. Thirteen per cent of AED-exposed deliveries involved a combination of two or more AEDs. Psychiatric disorders were the most prevalent diagnoses, followed by epileptic and pain disorders, among AED users regardless of AED type, year of conception or gestational period. CONCLUSIONS   AED use during pregnancy increased between 2001 and 2007, driven by a fivefold increase in the use of newer AEDs. Nearly one in eight AED-exposed deliveries involved the concomitant use of more than one AED. Additional investigations of the reproductive safety of newer AEDs may be needed.

Medication Exposure in Pregnancy Risk Evaluation Program

To describe a program to study medication safety in pregnancy, the Medication Exposure in Pregnancy Risk Evaluation Program (MEPREP). MEPREP is a multi-site collaborative research program developed to enable the conduct of studies of medication use and outcomes in pregnancy. Collaborators include the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and researchers at the HMO Research Network, Kaiser Permanente Northern and Southern California, and Vanderbilt University. Datasets have been created at each site linking healthcare data for women delivering an infant between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2008 and infants born to these women. Standardized data files include maternal and infant characteristics, medication use, and medical care at 11 health plans within 9 states; birth certificate data were obtained from the state departments of public health. MEPREP currently involves more than 20 medication safety researchers and includes data for 1,221,156 children delivered to 933,917 mothers. Current studies include evaluations of the prevalence and patterns of use of specific medications and a validation study of data elements in the administrative and birth certificate data files. MEPREP can support multiple studies by providing information on a large, ethnically and geographically diverse population. This partnership combines clinical and research expertise and data resources to enable the evaluation of outcomes associated with medication use during pregnancy.

Validation of an Algorithm to Estimate Gestational Age in Electronic Health Plan Databases

To validate an algorithm that uses delivery date and diagnosis codes to define gestational age at birth in electronic health plan databases.

Prevalence, Trends, and Patterns of Use of Antidiabetic Medications Among Pregnant Women, 2001-2007

OBJECTIVE: To describe the prevalence, trends, and patterns in use of antidiabetic medications to treat hyperglycemia and insulin resistance before and during pregnancy in a large U.S. cohort of insured pregnant women. METHODS: Pregnancies resulting in live births were identified (N=437,950) from 2001 to 2007 among 372,543 females 12–50 years of age at delivery from 10 health maintenance organizations participating in the Medication Exposure in Pregnancy Risk Evaluation Program. Information for these descriptive analyses, including all antidiabetic medications dispensed during this period, was extracted from electronic health records and newborn birth certificates. RESULTS: A little more than 1% (1.21%) of deliveries were to women dispensed antidiabetic medication in the 120 days before pregnancy. Use of antidiabetic medications before pregnancy increased from 0.66% of deliveries in 2001 to 1.66% of deliveries in 2007 (P<.001) because of an increase in metformin use. Most women using metformin before pregnancy had a diagnosis code for polycystic ovaries or female infertility (67.2%), whereas only 13.6% had a diagnosis code for diabetes. The use of antidiabetic medications during the second or third trimester of pregnancy increased from 2.8% of deliveries in 2001 to 3.6% in 2007 (P<.001). Approximately two thirds (68%) of women using metformin before pregnancy did not use any antidiabetic medications during pregnancy. CONCLUSIONS: Antidiabetic medication use before and during pregnancy increased from 2001 to 2007, possibly because of increasing prevalence of gestational diabetes mellitus, type 1 and type 2 diabetes, and other conditions associated with insulin resistance. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: III

Methods of linking mothers and infants using health plan data for studies of pregnancy outcomes

Research on medication safety in pregnancy often utilizes health plan and birth certificate records. This study discusses methods used to link mothers with infants, a crucial step in such research.

Participation of Women in Clinical Trials Supporting FDA Approval of Cardiovascular Drugs

BACKGROUND Concerns exist that women are underrepresented in trials of cardiovascular medications. OBJECTIVES The authors sought to examine womens participation and the reported safety and efficacy by gender for pivotal cardiovascular disease (CVD) trials submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) supporting marketing applications. METHODS On the basis of publicly available FDA reviews, the authors assessed enrollment of women in trials supporting 36 drug approvals from 2005 to 2015. Prevalence-corrected estimates for the participation of women were calculated as the percentage of women among trial participants divided by the percentage of women in the disease population (participation to prevalence ratio [PPR]), with a range between 0.8 and 1.2 reflecting similar representation of women in the trial and disease population. Sex differences in efficacy and safety were assessed. RESULTS The proportion of women enrolled ranged from 22% to 81% (mean 46%). The calculated PPR by disease area was within or above the desirable range for atrial fibrillation (0.8 to 1.1), hypertension (0.9), and pulmonary arterial hypertension (1.4); PPR was <0.8 for heart failure (0.5 to 0.6), coronary artery disease (0.6), and acute coronary syndrome/myocardial infarction (0.6). The authors found little indication of clinically meaningful gender differences in efficacy or safety. Gender differences in efficacy or safety were described in labeling for 4 drugs. CONCLUSIONS Women were well represented in trials of drugs for hypertension and atrial fibrillation, and overrepresented for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Representation of women fell below a PPR of 0.8 for trials in heart failure, coronary artery disease, and acute coronary syndrome. Minimal gender differences in drug efficacy and safety profiles were observed.

Trimethoprim–sulfonamide use during the first trimester of pregnancy and the risk of congenital anomalies

Sulfonamide antibacterials are widely used in pregnancy, but evidence about their safety is mixed. The objective of this study was to assess the association between first‐trimester sulfonamide exposure and risk of specific congenital malformations.

Alcohol and Aldehyde Dehydrogenases Contribute to Sex-Related Differences in Clearance of Zolpidem in Rats

Objectives: The recommended zolpidem starting dose was lowered in females (5 mg vs. 10 mg) since side effects were more frequent and severe than those of males; the mechanism underlying sex differences in pharmacokinetics (PK) is unknown. We hypothesized that such differences were caused by known sex-related variability in alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) expression. Methods: Male, female, and castrated male rats were administered 2.6 mg/kg zolpidem, ± disulfiram (ADH/ALDH pathway inhibitor) to compare PK changes induced by sex and gonadal hormones. PK analyses were conducted in rat plasma and rat brain. Key findings: Sex differences in PK were evident: females had a higher CMAX (112.4 vs. 68.1 ug/L) and AUC (537.8 vs. 231.8 h∗ug/L) than uncastrated males. Castration induced an earlier TMAX (0.25 vs. 1 h), greater CMAX (109.1 vs. 68.1 ug/L), and a corresponding AUC increase (339.7 vs. 231.8 h∗ug/L). Administration of disulfiram caused more drastic CMAX and TMAX changes in male vs. female rats that mirrored the effects of castration on first-pass metabolism, suggesting that the observed PK differences may be caused by ADH/ALDH expression. Brain concentrations paralleled plasma concentrations. Conclusion: These findings indicate that sex differences in zolpidem PK are influenced by variation in the expression of ADH/ALDH due to gonadal androgens.