Study: Drug Used To Treat Reflux May Help “Wipe Out” Pre-Eclampsia

Australian scientists have found that a drug used to treat reflux may help “wipe out” pre-eclampsia, a deadly pregnancy complication that affects thousands of women yearly.

In a medical breakthrough, the drug esomeprazole a proton pump inhibitor used to treat gastric reflux and indigestion can switch off the production of toxins from the pre-eclamptic placenta.

Pre-eclampsia is a condition where the placenta releases toxins through the body that can damage blood vessels and lead to organ failure in pregnant women. There is no known treatment except to deliver the baby early, putting the child’s life at risk.

Dr Natalie Hannan from the Translational Obstetrics Group (TOG) based at Melbourne’s Mercy Hospital for Women, who led the international study, said that this effective and life-saving treatment could be available within the next five years.

In a study published in medical journal, Hypertension, the scientists explained that the drug was used in mice with the disease. It was discovered that proton inhibitors were successful in bringing down blood pressure the main symptom of pre-eclampsia.

Dr Hannan says she was “astonished” by the effectiveness of the drug.

Every year, it’s estimated that between 60,000 to 70,000 women die of pre-eclampsia around the world, meaning about half-a-million babies are lost.

Already proven safe to use during pregnancy, a major clinical trial to test the drug is now underway in South Africa, where a total of 120 pregnant women with the disease will be treated with esomeprazole at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town.

Further trials in Australia are also planned. “If proton pump inhibitors can reduce the burden of pre-eclampsia, it could save the lives of thousands of mothers and babies globally,” said Professor Stephen Tong, the head of TOG.

Source: Kidspot.com.au